IS THERE AN IMMORTAL SOUL IN MAN?

(BEFORE HE RECEIVES THE HOLY SPIRIT OF GOD)

A compilation of Scriptures by Dan Beeson 6 October 2022

www.vigilantvaliant.com    dan@vigilantvaliant.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

INTRODUCTION

OLD TESTAMENT

HEBREW FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

HEBREW - SOUL

HEBREW - SPIRIT

NEW TESTAMENT

GREEK FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

GREEK - SOUL

GREEK - SPIRIT

ALL SCRIPTURES IN THE BIBLE MENTIONING BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS ARE IMMORTAL OR INCORRUPTIBLE?

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

HOW DO HUMANS RECEIVE A SPIRIT?

VERSES USED TRYING TO PROVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL IN MAN FROM BIRTH

EVERLASTING & FOR EVER AND EVER

SAVING THE BEST FOR THE LAST

CONCLUSION

LAST WORDS

INTRODUCTION

We may have been taught from our youth that we will either be saved, and make it to heaven to live forever in happiness, or that we will be damned, not saved, and we will burn in torture in hell forever and ever.

But we are adults now.  We are responsible for what we believe no matter if we were taught well and truthfully, or if we were taught wrong doctrine.  Yahweh, The Living God, will hold us accountable for how we believed and how we lived.

God calls the devil the deceiver of the whole world, and says that, in the end, on Judgment Day, "the devil who had deceived them" (Revelation 20:10a) would be cast into the Lake of Fire.  If you have any doubt at all that the devil has deceived a large percentage of professing Christians, please see my Bible Study, "Does Jesus Want Christians to Obey the Ten Commandments?' and read the section in the Introduction titled "DECEIVED!"

So this is a study to find out if there is an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit in mankind from birth. Other studies show the Bible says we are given, infused with, some of the Holy Spirit of God when we are born again. When we acknowledge and confess our sins to our loving Father, and TURN FROM THOSE SINS, He forgives us for confessed sins, and grafts us into the family of true believers by adoption, and imparts to us some of His Holy Spirit. If you are not sure you are Born Again, Then please read my Bible Study "How Jesus & His 12 Apostles Say We Are Saved?"  After being BORN AGAIN, we do have an immortal spirit in us.  But what about before then, from birth?  Let's not lean on what we have been told by other people, but let us see what Yahweh, The Living God, tell us in the Bible.

If you are not sure what happens to people when they die, this Bible study should help you see what the Bible says.  If you are wondering about going to "Hell", please see my study "Will Humans Be Tortured Forever in Hell"?

I have compiled below scriptures I found on this topic. If you like it, if it seems to be thorough and accurate, my other Bible Studies may be found on www.vigilantvaliant.com.  If you find an error, or a scripture I have missed, please let me know at dan@vigilantvaliant.com.

If you wonder why I use The Living God's name, Yahweh, and Our Savior's name, Yeshua, please see my other Bible Study, "Does Jesus Want Christians to Obey the Ten Commandments?" in the Introduction, in the section, "THE NAME OF GOD AND HIS MESSIAH" for a short explanation.

I use the King James Version (KJV) only because it was by far the main English translation during my life. While there are other good translations of the Bible, I am using the one I am familiar with, the KJV. Yes, it is old-fashioned English, but it can also be poetic and beautiful. So, all scriptures are quoted from the KJV Bible (King James Version), unless otherwise noted. All scriptures will be indented and in italics.  All Bolding, Underlining, Italicizing, (parentheses), highlighting, and [brackets] are done by me for emphasis.

END OF INTRODUCTION

OLD TESTAMENT

When we are searching for Bible Truth, ofttimes the best place to start is in the beginning.

And that is exactly where the first problem with humans occurred.

God made a man, Adam, and a woman, Eve, and placed them in the beautiful Garden of Eden.

Yahweh, The Living God, gave humans ONE RULE, one commandment.

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)

God was very clear. You eat, you die.

You all know the story.  The old serpent, the devil, then told Eve they would NOT DIE if they ate the fruit, but instead would become wise, knowing good and evil.

"4 And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: 5 For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." (Genesis 3:4-5)

So Eve ate some of the fruit and gave it to Adam and he ate.  The Bible defines sin as the breaking of God's Law, so this was the first sin.

The Bible does not show the first of men to be troglodytes, or unintelligent brutish beasts, but fully thinking creatures.  Nowhere is there a record of Adam and Eve saying to God, the morning after they sinned, "Look God.  It’s the next day, and we are still alive".  It is sure that they realized this sentence of Yahweh was that the day, probably the moment, they would eat the forbidden fruit, they would lose ETERNAL LIFE, and just live the physical bodily life as long as their bodies functioned, and then they would die, and return to the dust from which they were made.

"In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." (Genesis 3:19)

Adam and Eve had lost eternal life for humankind.  Yahweh, The Almighty God, said they would NOT LIVE, but die. He explained that in His sentence on them, saying they would now have to work hard and sweat for their food, and would end up dying.  He was telling them they would NOT LIVE FOREVER, but die.   The devil said they would NOT DIE, but live forever. Did Adam die?

"And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died." (Genesis 5:5)

What do almost all Christian churches teach today about dying? My experience is that they know from practical experience that all bodies will die, they can not deny that, so they believe that the human's SOUL or SPIRIT will LIVE FOREVER, either in Heaven or Hell.  They teach the essential part of humans will NOT DIE; only the body dies, and the essential part of you, your soul or spirit, will LIVE FOREVER.

Another scripture selection that helps us make up our minds about what KIND of death Yahweh is speaking of is in Ezekiel 18 below.  Is God speaking of the physical death of the body, or the death of our entire being; final, non-reversible death.

"1 The word of the Lord came unto me again, saying, 2 What mean ye, that ye use this proverb concerning the land of Israel, saying, The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge? 3 As I live, saith the Lord God, ye shall not have occasion any more to use this proverb in Israel. 4 Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die. 5 But if a man be just, and do that which is lawful and right, 6 And hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, neither hath defiled his neighbour's wife, neither hath come near to a menstruous woman, 7 And hath not oppressed any, but hath restored to the debtor his pledge, hath spoiled none by violence, hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment; 8 He that hath not given forth upon usury, neither hath taken any increase, that hath withdrawn his hand from iniquity, hath executed true judgment between man and man, 9 Hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to deal truly; he is just, he shall surely live, saith the Lord God. 10 If he beget a son that is a robber, a shedder of blood, and that doeth the like to any one of these things, 11 And that doeth not any of those duties, but even hath eaten upon the mountains, and defiled his neighbour's wife, 12 Hath oppressed the poor and needy, hath spoiled by violence, hath not restored the pledge, and hath lifted up his eyes to the idols, hath committed abomination, 13 Hath given forth upon usury, and hath taken increase: shall he then live? He shall not live: he hath done all these abominations; he shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him. 14 Now, lo, if he beget a son, that seeth all his father's sins which he hath done, and considereth, and doeth not such like, 15 That hath not eaten upon the mountains, neither hath lifted up his eyes to the idols of the house of Israel, hath not defiled his neighbour's wife, 16 Neither hath oppressed any, hath not withholden the pledge, neither hath spoiled by violence, but hath given his bread to the hungry, and hath covered the naked with a garment, 17 That hath taken off his hand from the poor, that hath not received usury nor increase, hath executed my judgments, hath walked in my statutes; he shall not die for the iniquity of his father, he shall surely live. 18 As for his father, because he cruelly oppressed, spoiled his brother by violence, and did that which is not good among his people, lo, even he shall die in his iniquity. 19 Yet say ye, Why? Doth not the son bear the iniquity of the father? When the son hath done that which is lawful and right, and hath kept all my statutes, and hath done them, he shall surely live." (Ezekiel 18:1-19)

The verse selection above is important to us because it is another example of what God said to Adam and Even in the Garden of Eden.  Reading verse 13 "He shall surely die; his blood shall be upon him"  reminds us that in Genesis 2, in the Garden of Eden, God told Adam and Eve "thou shalt surely die". We have already covered that it is impossible in the Genesis account that God is speaking of physical bodily death, because Adam and Eve do not die that day.  They lived many more years.  Those who believe these verses to mean physical biological death of the body believe the devil, who said "Ye shall NOT surely die."

God says "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  The devil says "Ye shall not surely die:"

Adam lived about 930 more years, having many sons and daughters, and then his biological body died.  If God was talking of Adam's biological body, then God lied and the devil told the truth.

If you believe in Yahweh, the Almighty God of the Bible, that can not possibly be. God can not lie.

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)

So it was God who told the truth, and the devil that lied, in that he said the opposite of what God said would happen.

Therefore if we believe The Almighty Eternal Creator of all things, we have proved that God was not talking about Adam and Eve's physical biological bodies.

Reading verse Ezekiel 18:13 above, we note it says "his blood shall be upon him.  This may seem like He is talking about the biological death of a flesh and blood body.  But think more deeply about that.  If we are very literal, it seems that God means the person will be cut open and his blood will  pour all over him.  Does this mean the person's liquid red blood will be all over him?  Or, does it mean the fault will be his; the fault will be upon him?  God says I have warned you clearly and often. If you do this you will die.  If you do this your death will be your own fault, not mine.  How often even in modern English do we say or hear "Hey, that's on YOU!"  Don't people mean that's YOUR fault, the consequences of your act are on YOU, not me?  "Don't blame ME for that."

So while verse 13 may at first glance indicate physical blood on a physical body, does that truly fit well in the context of the entire chapter Ezekiel 18?  I think not.

Another proof that this is not talking about physical death, is the hearers own experiences. Whether in ancient Israel, or in the modern world, sinners do NOT DIE sooner than good people. Common people of every era have bemoaned that the evil people get away with their evil and live fat, rich, and happy.

In fact during the reign of King David, Asaph wrote psalm 73.

"1 Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart. 2 But as for me, my feet were almost gone; my steps had well nigh slipped. 3 For I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of the wicked. 4 For there are no bands in their death: but their strength is firm. 5 They are not in trouble as other men; neither are they plagued like other men. 6 Therefore pride compasseth them about as a chain; violence covereth them as a garment. 7 Their eyes stand out with fatness: they have more than heart could wish. 8 They are corrupt, and speak wickedly concerning oppression: they speak loftily. 9 They set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth. 10 Therefore his people return hither: and waters of a full cup are wrung out to them. 11 And they say, How doth God know? And is there knowledge in the most High? 12 Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase in riches. 13 Verily I have cleansed my heart in vain, and washed my hands in innocency. 14 For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. 15 If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend against the generation of thy children. 16 When I thought to know this, it was too painful for me;" (Psalm 73:1-16)

Asaph was bemoaning that evil people seem to get away with their evil, they prosper and grow rich.  Yes, now and then a bad person is jailed, but even in America today, very few criminals are executed.  Yes, some are killed by others of their own kind in gang wars or by backstabbing.  But it is common experience that sinners do not die before everybody else, and that good people do not outlive everybody else.  It just doesn't happen that way.

In fact there is a song about it, "Only the Good Die Young."

With this being the reality of life, IF God was talking about physical death to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, or to the Children of Israel through Ezekiel, then God was wrong.

Can Yahweh the Living God, the All Knowing God ever be wrong? Obviously, NO!

Let's read Numbers 23:19 again.

"God is not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent: hath he said, and shall he not do it? Or hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?" (Numbers 23:19)

Can you honestly believe that God meant only the physical body when He says sinners will die?

IF He does not, then He is talking about the death of a human, of the entire being.  That means there is no IMMORTAL SOUL in humans from birth.

God says "thou shalt surely die."  The devil says "Ye shall not surely die:"

You make up your own mind who to believe; God, or the devil?

Being forced to acknowledge that bad and good men all die physically, yet wanting support for this belief (or hope) of living forever, mainline Christian churches believe in an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humans that NEVER DIES.

But did they learn that from the Bible?

Let's see what the Bible really says about a human's SOUL or SPIRIT.

HEBREW FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

One of the problems we will run into is the wide range of meanings for the words "soul and "spirit". So let's look at the modern English definition of spirit from Merriam-Webster Dictionary.  So spirit can mean soul, and soul can mean spirit.

https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/spirit

SPIRIT noun

"spir·it | \ ˈspir-ət  \

Definition of spirit (Entry 1 of 2)

1: an animating or vital principle held to give life to physical organisms

2: a supernatural being or essence: such as

a capitalized : HOLY SPIRIT

b: SOUL sense 2a

c: an often malevolent being that is bodiless but can become visible

specifically : GHOST sense 2

d: a malevolent being that enters and possesses a human being

3: temper or disposition of mind or outlook especially when vigorous or animated

in high spirits

4: the immaterial intelligent or sentient part of a person

5a: the activating or essential principle influencing a person

acted in a spirit of helpfulness

5b: an inclination, impulse, or tendency of a specified kind: MOOD

6a: a special attitude or frame of mind

the money-making spirit was for a time driven back

6b: the feeling, quality, or disposition characterizing something

undertaken in a spirit of fun

7: a lively or brisk quality in a person or a person's actions

8: a person having a character or disposition of a specified nature

9: a mental disposition characterized by firmness or assertiveness

denied the charge with spirit"

10a: DISTILLATE sense 1: such as

(1): the liquid containing ethanol and water that is distilled from an alcoholic liquid or mash —often used in plural

(2): any of various volatile liquids obtained by distillation or cracking (as of petroleum, shale, or wood) —often used in plural

10b: a usually volatile organic solvent (such as an alcohol, ester, or hydrocarbon)

11a: prevailing tone or tendency

spirit of the age

11b: general intent or real meaning

spirit of the law

12: an alcoholic solution of a volatile substance

spirit of camphor

13: enthusiastic loyalty

school spirit

14capitalized, Christian Science : GOD sense 1b"

Wow, you can see the many, many meanings attached to the word "spirit".

Also we are quite familiar with the meanings like "school spirit", "high spirits", "inclination", "mental disposition", and more of the like.

So what we are looking for? Our quest is to find if any scriptures definitively state that there is an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in a human from birth.  If we find none, then we have our answer!

One definition of "spirit" is "soul", so that "soul" and "spirit" are often used interchangeably.

Because of this interchangeability, we will examine BOTH the words "spirit" and "soul" in the Hebrew of the Old Testament, and the Greek of the New Testament.

THE SOUL IN THE HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT

Because the words for "soul" and "spirit" are often used interchangeably, we are examining the Hebrew word for "soul".

The quest here is to see if any verse of scripture in the Old Testament proves the existence of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT existing in a human from birth.

For understanding this word "soul" from scripture, knowing the Hebrew word "nepes" may help clear up misunderstandings. It is often used with the word "living", so we also will look at the Hebrew word "Hay."

HEBREW - SOUL

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h5315/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Strong's H5315 - nep̄eš

נֶפֶשׁ

Part of Speech=feminine noun

Root Word (Etymology)

From נָפַשׁ (H5314)

KJV Translation Count — Total: 753x

"The KJV translates Strong's H5315 in the following manner: soul (475x), life (117x), person (29x), mind (15x), heart (15x), creature (9x), body (8x), himself (8x), yourselves (6x), dead (5x), will (4x), desire (4x), man (3x), themselves (3x), any (3x), appetite (2x), miscellaneous (47x)."

This word is used of animals and man and is the life force in them. This is NOT an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT. Note from above, it is used a total of 753 times in the Bible, and is translated as "soul" 475 times, as "life" 117 times, and as other things like person, mind, heart, creature, man, and more.

Strong's H2416 is also used with "nepes" or "nephesh" for the phrase "living creature."

HEBREW - LIVING

https://www.blueletterbible.org/lexicon/h2416/kjv/wlc/0-1/

Strong's H2416 - ḥay

חַי

Part of Speech = adjective, feminine noun, masculine noun

The KJV translates Strong's H2416 in the following manner: live (197x), life (144x), beast (76x), alive (31x), creature (15x), running (7x), living thing (6x), raw (6x), miscellaneous (19x).

Root Word (Etymology)

From חָיָה (H2421)

KJV Translation Count — Total: 501x

"The KJV translates Strong's H2421 in the following manner: live (153x), alive (34x), save (13x), quicken (14x), revive (12x), surely (10x), life (9x), recover (8x), miscellaneous (9x)."

The first time the word creature (or soul or being or thing) is used in the Bible is in the very beginning, in Genesis 1:20.

From Genesis 1:20-21 below, you can see it is used of animals.

"20 And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. 21 And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:20-21)

In Genesis 1:24 we see the word Strong's H2416 Hayyah used as a phrase with "nepes" or "nephesh" to mean "living creature" or "living thing."

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so." (Genesis 1:24)

In Genesis 2:7 below, this exact same word “nepes” / “nephesh” is used for “soul” as for the whales, other fish and sea life, and winged fouls. It is clearly NOT an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

“7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul.” (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7 NKJV)

From BibleHub Interlinear Bible, below, note "being" is another English word that can be used as equal to "soul".

Some consider the human “soul” to be different from the animal “soul”, and different from the angel “soul”.  Consider the two scriptures shown below, with their Hebrew wording. Genesis 2:7 and Genesis 9:12.

From BibleHub.com’s Interlinear Bible, in the picture below, look at the words surrounded in red.  In Genesis 2:7 the words are Strong’s H5315 and Strong’s H2416.  These are “Le nepes hayyah.” Remember Hebrew reads from right to left.  The word “Le” translates to “a”, so it is translated “a Living Being”. In the picture of Genesis 9:12 below, The Strong’s words are the same, H5351 and H2416.  Note the “La” just means “a”.

Note the first five Bible versions from BibleHub's Parallel Bibles have four DIFFERENT phrases for Genesis 2:7.

New International Version

"Then the LORD God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7 NIV)

New Living Translation

"Then the LORD God formed the man from the dust of the ground. He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person." (Genesis 2:7 NLT)

English Standard Version

"Then the LORD God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature." (Genesis 2:7 ESV)

Berean Study Bible

"Then the LORD God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and the man became a living being." (Genesis 2:7 BSB)

King James Bible

"And the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7 KJV)

In Genesis 9:12 below, hayyah nepes, it is translated, “Living creature”.

"And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:" (Genesis 9:12)

So the same words, "hayyah nepes" are used for “living creature”, "living person", "living being", and “living soul.”  There is no difference in the meaning for the same words are used.

Below, a scripture with the same word Strong's H5315 nephesh shows this is the life-force leaving Rachel, as she died.

"17 And it came to pass, when she was in hard labour, that the midwife said unto her, Fear not; thou shalt have this son also. 18 And it came to pass, as her soul was in departing, (for she died) that she called his name Benoni: but his father called him Benjamin. 19 And Rachel died, and was buried in the way to Ephrath, which is Bethlehem." (Genesis 35:17-19)

So the word "SOUL" does not mean "IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT", but "LIVING CREATURE." SOUL is used for animals and humans. It is the breath given by Yahweh, that gives animals and men life. When it departs, it goes back to God, and the animal or human dies.

In the verses below, with the phrase “living creature”, the same Hebrew words “hayyah nepes” are used.

"And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good."  (Genesis 1:21)

"And God said, Let the earth bring forth the living creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so." (Genesis 1:24)

"And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof."  (Genesis 2:19)

"And with every living creature that is with you, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth with you; from all that go out of the ark, to every beast of the earth." (Genesis 9:10)

"And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:" (Genesis 9:12)

"And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh." (Genesis 9:15)

Below, God is speaking of The Day of Atonement being a Holy Day Sabbath, and no one can do work. He says a soul can work and a soul can be destroyed. Both occurrences of the word "soul' below are translated from the Strong's H5315 nephesh.

"And whatsoever soul it be that doeth any work in that same day, the same soul will I destroy from among his people." (Leviticus 23:30)

If a soul can to physical work, it is not spirit. If the soul can be destroyed, it is not an IMMORTAL SOUL.

Can a physical sword be any threat to an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit? No!

"Deliver my soul from the sword; my darling from the power of the dog." (Psalm 22:20)

King David did not consider his "soul" as an IMMORTAL SPIRIT or soul.

Below the New Revised Standard version shows more detail than the KJV so both are shown. The same root word, Strong's H5315 nephesh is used for life, so in Hebrew it is "takes the soul of that person."

11 “But if someone at enmity with another lies in wait and attacks and takes the life of that person and flees into one of these cities, 12 then the elders of the killer’s city shall send to have the culprit taken from there and handed over to the avenger of blood to be put to death.' (Deuteronomy 19:11-12 NRSV New Revised Standard Version Updated)

"11 But if any man hate his neighbour, and lie in wait for him, and rise up against him, and smite him mortally that he die, and fleeth into one of these cities: 12 Then the elders of his city shall send and fetch him thence, and deliver him into the hand of the avenger of blood, that he may die." (Deuteronomy 19:11-12 KJV)

So if a man can take another persons soul, by killing it, it is not an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit.

In Deuteronomy 12:20 below, "soul" is used twice saying the "soul" would desire to eat meat. Both words are from Strong's H5315 nephesh.

"When the Lord thy God shall enlarge thy border, as he hath promised thee, and thou shalt say, I will eat flesh, because thy soul longeth to eat flesh; thou mayest eat flesh, whatsoever thy soul lusteth after." (Deuteronomy 12:20)

Since the soul longs to eat savory meat, it can not be an IMMORTAL SPIRIT.

Ecclesiastes 6:7 is speaking of a man wanting to satisfy his appetites, particularly his mouth or belly. The KJV just says "appetite" when the word is again from Strong's H5315 nephesh for "soul".

King James Version

7 All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the appetite is not filled." (Ecclesiastes 6:7 KJV)

New King James Version

All the labor of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not satisfied." (Ecclesiastes 6:7 NKJV)

Young's Literal Translation

All the labour of man is for his mouth, and yet the soul is not filled." (Ecclesiastes 6:7 YLT)

For the soul to be satisfied by physical food, it can not be an IMMORTAL SPIRIT.

See Leviticus 17:11 from BibleHub.com's excellent Interlinear Bible.

Note that the word Strong's H5315 Nephesh is first translated as "life", then twice as "soul".

Does an immortal spirit or soul need to eat physical food?  Obviously not, for that would mean it could die of starvation. Can an angel starve to death? Again, obviously not. Below is a verse that says the soul must eat, showing beyond the shadow of a doubt that the human soul is NOT IMMORTAL. The verse below is speaking of the Passover Holy Day, and that you must not work on this Holy Day, except for preparing the food you need to eat. The word "man" is again Strong's H5315 nephesh, which means soul.

"And in the first day there shall be an holy convocation, and in the seventh day there shall be an holy convocation to you; no manner of work shall be done in them, save that which every man must eat, that only may be done of you." (Exodus 12:16)

So the human "nepes" or "nephesh" "must eat".  This is clearly NOT AN IMMORTAL SOUL!

In the following verse from Job, speaking of people being chastised by God, they get so sick they do not even want to eat food.  The word translated "soul" is again a form of Strong's H5315 nephesh.

"19 He is chastened also with pain upon his bed, and the multitude of his bones with strong pain: 20 So that his life abhorreth bread, and his soul dainty meat." (Job 33:19-20)

For the soul to abhor good meat, if is obviously not any IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit.

Numbers 6:6 below shows the nephesh or soul can die, for it talks of those who would separate themselves from a worldly life, and could not touch a dead body, or soul. Note Strong's H5315 nephesh is translated body here.

“’Throughout the period of their dedication to the LORD, the Nazirite must not go near a dead body." (Numbers 6:6 NIV)

There are probably hundreds of more examples in the Bible how the authors of the scripture did not think man's soul was either spiritual or immortal.

We have seen beyond the shadow of a doubt that the words "Hayyah Nepes" or other phrases based on "nephesh" do not mean IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

Let's look at another word that some say means IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

THE SPIRIT IN THE HEBREW OLD TESTAMENT

Does the Bible say man has an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT?

Some say that when Yahweh made man, He breathed into man an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT. But what the Bible says is He breathed into them “the breath of life.”

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

In the section above, we saw above the translation of that word as soul, being, or creature, and it is used of man and animals.

So let's look now at the Hebrew word for SPIRIT.

HEBREW - SPIRIT

From Strong's Exhaustive Concordance:

"Strong's H7307 - rûaḥ רוּחַ

Transliteration rûaḥ"

"The KJV translates Strong's H7307 in the following manner: Spirit or spirit (232x), wind (92x), breath (27x), side (6x), mind (5x), blast (4x), vain (2x), air (1x), anger (1x), cool (1x), courage (1x), miscellaneous (6x)."

The word "SPIRIT" is used in the Old Testament 236 times. We will not examine ALL those occurrences, but those that show the different usages.

The very first occurrence of the word "SPIRIT" in the Old Testament is in Genesis 1:2.  It is referring to the "Spirit of God". Using one of my favorite Bible study tools, BibleHub.com's Interlinear Bible, we see the Hebrew word "ruah", Strong's H7303. It is used to mean a non-corporeal, non-physical being, but also the "breath" of life, as in animals.

The second occurrence of the word "SPIRIT" is used in Genesis 6:3, and it is used in the same way, as God being a non-material being.

"And the Lord said, My spirit shall not always strive with man, for that he also is flesh: yet his days shall be an hundred and twenty years." (Genesis 6:3)

However, it is not the Spirit of God we are studying, but if there is an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in mankind when he is born. So, we will look now only at the word "spirit" when used for humankind.

The third occurrence of SPIRIT is in Genesis 41:8 where it is speaking of the spirit of Pharaoh being troubled by dreams. The same Hebrew word, H7307 is used.

"And it came to pass in the morning that his spirit was troubled; and he sent and called for all the magicians of Egypt, and all the wise men thereof: and Pharaoh told them his dream; but there was none that could interpret them unto Pharaoh." (Genesis 41:8)

The meaning here is the same as being troubled in your heart or mind.  Note above that "Mind" is one of the meanings Strong's gives for this word.  There is nothing here to indicate that Pharaoh has an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

The fourth occurrence of SPIRIT is in Genesis 41:38, where Pharaoh is praising Joseph for interpreting his dream.  Pharaoh says the "Spirit of God" is in Joseph, and is declaring that as unusual.  Yeshua did also, when He stated many are called, but few are chosen, and in response to the question, "Lord, are there few that be saved?"

"23 Then said one unto him, Lord, are there few that be saved? And he said unto them, 24 Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." (Luke 13:23-24)

"And Pharaoh said unto his servants, Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Genesis 41:38)

So while God gives a part of His Spirit to men for certain purposes, this verse itself makes it clear that this is unusual, so this can not be scriptural proof that all of humankind innately possesses an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT before they are "Born Again" and receive the Holy Spirit of God.

Often, when we see the "spirit" in man spoken of in the Bible, it is the Spirit of God that has been placed in an individual.

"16 And the Lord said unto Moses, Gather unto me seventy men of the elders of Israel, whom thou knowest to be the elders of the people, and officers over them; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation, that they may stand there with thee. 17 And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone." (Numbers 11:16-17)

"24 And Moses went out, and told the people the words of the Lord, and gathered the seventy men of the elders of the people, and set them round about the tabernacle. 25 And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease." (Numbers 11:24-25)

Yahweh took some of the "spirit" He had given Moses, perhaps the spirit of wisdom and good judgment, and put some part of it on the 70 elders, so they could help Moses judge the people.

God puts some of His spirit in certain people to do certain jobs.

1 Then the LORD said to Moses, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, 4 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 5 to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every craft." (Exodus 31:1-5)

The verses above and below show that God imparts a part of His spirit, like the breath of life He gives even to animals, He gives a special knowledge or talent and innate understanding to some people to finish a task for Him, for the good of mankind.

"30 Then Moses said to the Israelites, “See, the LORD has called by name Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 31 And He has filled him with the Spirit of God, with skill, ability, and knowledge in all kinds of craftsmanship, 32 to design artistic works in gold, silver, and bronze, 33 to cut gemstones for settings, and to carve wood, so that he may be a master of every artistic craft. 34 And the LORD has given both him and Oholiab son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan, the ability to teach others. 35 He has filled them with skill to do all kinds of work as engravers, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple, and scarlet yarn and fine linen, and as weavers—as artistic designers of every kind of craft." (Exodus 35:30-35)

15 And Moses spake unto the Lord, saying, 16 Let the Lord, the God of the spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, 17 Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of the Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. 18 And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him; 19 And set him before Eleazar the priest, and before all the congregation; and give him a charge in their sight. 20 And thou shalt put some of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Israel may be obedient." (Numbers 27:15-20)

"9 And when the children of Israel cried unto the Lord, the Lord raised up a deliverer to the children of Israel, who delivered them, even Othniel the son of Kenaz, Caleb's younger brother. 10 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord delivered Chushanrishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushanrishathaim. 11 And the land had rest forty years. And Othniel the son of Kenaz died." (Judges 3:9-11)

"Yet many years didst thou forbear them, and testifiedst against them by thy spirit in thy prophets: yet would they not give ear: therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands." (Nehemiah 9:30)

"1 Moreover Job continued his parable, and said, 2 As God liveth, who hath taken away my judgment; and the Almighty, who hath vexed my soul; 3 All the while my breath is in me, and the spirit of God is in my nostrils; 4 My lips shall not speak wickedness, nor my tongue utter deceit." (Job 27:1-4)

The Midianites and Amalekites were preparing to attack Israel, so God put some of His Spirit on Gideon to be a leader of Israel.

"33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the east were gathered together, and went over, and pitched in the valley of Jezreel. 34 But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him. 35 And he sent messengers throughout all Manasseh; who also was gathered after him: and he sent messengers unto Asher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali; and they came up to meet them." (Judges 6:33-35)

Judges chapters 6 & 7 are very exciting reading, so when you are looking for an encouraging reading time, read the story of Gideon in Judges 6 and 7.

"28 Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he sent him. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon." (Judges 11:28-29)

The story of Samson is an interesting part of the Bible to read through for excitement, valor, deceit, and betrayal, but final victory! It is another good example of how Yahweh, The Living God, can place His spirit on people for a certain task or purpose, but then remove it at will.  As with the other verses above and below, this use of "spirit" does not indicate an immortal soul or spirit in mankind from birth.

"24 And the woman bare a son, and called his name Samson: and the child grew, and the Lord blessed him. 25 And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Eshtaol." (Judges 13:24-25)

"5 Then went Samson down, and his father and his mother, to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath: and, behold, a young lion roared against him. 6 And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done." (Judges 14:5-6)

"19 And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which expounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house. 20 But Samson's wife was given to his companion, whom he had used as his friend." (Judges 14:19-20)

"14 And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. 15 And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith. 16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men." (Judges 15:14-16)

Below, Samuel tells Saul that God will put His Spirit on Saul and make him king.

"6 And the Spirit of the Lord will come upon thee, and thou shalt prophesy with them, and shalt be turned into another man. 7 And let it be, when these signs are come unto thee, that thou do as occasion serve thee; for God is with thee." (1 Samuel 10:6-7)

Note that in the verse above, Saul receives the Spirit God, but later, after disobedience, God withdraws His Holy Spirit from Saul, and places it on David.

"13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah. 14 But the Spirit of the Lord departed from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him." (1 Samuel 16:13-14)

King Belshazzar king of Babylonia, son of King Nebuchadnezzar, was having a party, and a spiritual hand appeared and wrote words on the wall.  No one could interpret them, and the king became despondent. But the queen then reminded him of Daniel, who could interpret dreams. So she tells Belteshazzar the following.

"11 There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy father light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy father, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers; 12 Forasmuch as an excellent spirit, and knowledge, and understanding, interpreting of dreams, and shewing of hard sentences, and dissolving of doubts, were found in the same Daniel, whom the king named Belteshazzar: now let Daniel be called, and he will shew the interpretation." (Daniel 5:11-12)

Yahweh poured out His Spirit on men to be leaders, warriors, artisans, or whatever was needed for the good of the people.

"1 And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded: 2 And he went out to meet Asa, and said unto him, Hear ye me, Asa, and all Judah and Benjamin; The Lord is with you, while ye be with him; and if ye seek him, he will be found of you; but if ye forsake him, he will forsake you." (2 Chronicles 15:1-2)

"10 And now, behold, the children of Ammon and Moab and mount Seir, whom thou wouldest not let Israel invade, when they came out of the land of Egypt, but they turned from them, and destroyed them not; 11 Behold, I say, how they reward us, to come to cast us out of thy possession, which thou hast given us to inherit. 12 O our God, wilt thou not judge them? For we have no might against this great company that cometh against us; neither know we what to do: but our eyes are upon thee. 13 And all Judah stood before the Lord, with their little ones, their wives, and their children. 14 Then upon Jahaziel the son of Zechariah, the son of Benaiah, the son of Jeiel, the son of Mattaniah, a Levite of the sons of Asaph, came the Spirit of the Lord in the midst of the congregation; 15 And he said, Hearken ye, all Judah, and ye inhabitants of Jerusalem, and thou king Jehoshaphat, Thus saith the Lord unto you, Be not afraid nor dismayed by reason of this great multitude; for the battle is not yours, but God's." (2 Chronicles 20:10-15)

"20 And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the commandments of the Lord, that ye cannot prosper? Because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you." (2 Chronicles 24:20)

"28 And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: 29 And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my spirit." (Joel 2:28-29)

God giving a part of His Spirit to people in the form of knowledge and skill as artisans or leaders, or prophets in no way supports the existence of an immortal soul or spirit in mankind from birth.

The fifth occurrence of SPIRIT is in Genesis 45:27. It speaks of the "spirit of Jacob", who had been despondent since the loss of his son Joseph, reviving when his other sons found Joseph alive in Egypt.

"And they told him all the words of Joseph, which he had said unto them: and when he saw the wagons which Joseph had sent to carry him, the spirit of Jacob their father revived:" (Genesis 45:27)

"26 And the God of Israel stirred up the spirit of Pul king of Assyria, and the spirit of Tilgathpilneser king of Assyria, and he carried them away, even the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manasseh, and brought them unto Halah, and Habor, and Hara, and to the river Gozan, unto this day." (1 Chronicles 5:26)

Again this is used as the mind or heart or feelings, with no indications of being an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

Another example of "spirit" used as attitude or heart is found in Isaiah.

"For all those things hath mine hand made, and all those things have been, saith the Lord: but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at my word." (Isaiah 66:2)

Obviously God is not proclaiming here that man has an immortal spirit from birth.

We do not need to examine all 236 occurrences, but will note from here on only those of significant importance. If you find one I have missed, that is germane to this study, please contact me and let me know.

Strong's H7307 is also used in phrases such as the following: anguish of spirit, spirit of wisdom, familiar spirits, spirit of jealousy, and more, none of which indicates an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in man.

"16 And Samson said, With the jawbone of an ass, heaps upon heaps, with the jaw of an ass have I slain a thousand men.  17 And it came to pass, when he had made an end of speaking, that he cast away the jawbone out of his hand, and called that place Ramathlehi.  18 And he was sore athirst, and called on the Lord, and said, Thou hast given this great deliverance into the hand of thy servant: and now shall I die for thirst, and fall into the hand of the uncircumcised?  19 But God clave an hollow place that was in the jaw, and there came water thereout; and when he had drunk, his spirit came again, and he revived: wherefore he called the name thereof Enhakkore, which is in Lehi unto this day." (Judges 15:16-19)

This can not have been an "IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT" that left him and came back into him, but his emotional state, as in "After being dejected for many weeks, the party with his friends revived his spirit." This "spirit" was revived when he drank water. That certainly can not mean IMMORTAL SPIRIT.

Numbers 16:22 may be of significance in this search.  Korah and many people with him sinned, and Moses and Aaron prayed to God to not hold the whole congregation of the Children of Israel guilty, for the sins of these few.

"And they fell upon their faces, and said, O God, the God of the spirits of all flesh, shall one man sin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation?" (Numbers 16:22)

Note that a very popular translation of the Bible, the New International Version (NIV) translates "ruah" as "breath", as does the New Living Translation.

New International Version

"But Moses and Aaron fell facedown and cried out, “O God, the God who gives breath to all living things, will you be angry with the entire assembly when only one man sins?” (Numbers 16:22 NIV)

New Living Translation

"But Moses and Aaron fell face down on the ground. “O God,” they pleaded, “you are the God who gives breath to all creatures. Must you be angry with all the people when only one man sins?” (Numbers 16:22 NLT)

"There is no man that hath power over the spirit to retain the spirit; neither hath he power in the day of death: and there is no discharge in that war; neither shall wickedness deliver those that are given to it." (Ecclesiastes 8:8)

The spirit, or the breath of life, which fits better in the verse above?  Both are possible translations. It depends on your inclinations.

Also, the other translations almost all agree on the phrase "spirits of ALL FLESH" which includes animals. This usage can certainly not mean man has an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT from birth.

Understand also from this example above that the interpretation of a word was at the inclination, understanding, prejudice, or whim of the translator. Of course I appreciate the many excellent interpreters who were doing their very best to be honest and accurate in translating the exact meaning of the ancient languages.

Most of these translators were probably well meaning, honest men, trying to do what is right and good.  So was Uzzah. The following scripture reference is not for baby Christians, or lukewarm Christians.

"3 And they set the ark of God upon a new cart, and brought it out of the house of Abinadab that was in Gibeah: and Uzzah and Ahio, the sons of Abinadab, drave the new cart. 4 And they brought it out of the house of Abinadab which was at Gibeah, accompanying the ark of God: and Ahio went before the ark. 5 And David and all the house of Israel played before the Lord on all manner of instruments made of fir wood, even on harps, and on psalteries, and on timbrels, and on cornets, and on cymbals. 6 And when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. 7 And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah; and God smote him there for his error; and there he died by the ark of God." (2 Samuel 6:3-7)

Uzzah was trying to save the Ark of the Covenant. Uzzah probably had only good intentions in his heart. Uzzah was an honorable man, in that he was chosen as a driver for the cart that would carry the Ark of God to Jerusalem. Uzzah was doing a good thing, and God killed him.

But wait! Before you start worrying about Our God being unreasonably harsh, consider ALL THE FACTS.  Yahweh had made VERY SPECIFIC instructions about how to move the Ark of the Covenant.  There were rings on each side, and two long poles to be slid through the rings, to be carried by men.  The Ark of the Testimony was not to be thrown on a cart like the garbage being taken to the dump.  It was EXTREMELY HOLY.  Note 2 Samuel 6:7 says it was for his ERROR that he died.   Uzzah died because he did not KNOW or did not OBEY THE TRUTH.

Imagine a scientist makes a high voltage power supply for an experiment, and in the instructions says "DO NOT TOUCH OR THIS WILL KILL YOU", and puts warning signs on it, "Deadly, High Voltage, Do not Touch". He puts rings on the sides and makes long wood insulating poles with instructions that THAT is how it can be safely carried.  The technicians carefully follow the instructions as they load it on a moving cart.  As it is being carted from the room in which it was constructed, to a different room for the experiment, a scientist sees it start to fall off the cart. From reflex action, he reaches out to stabilize it, and is instantly electrocuted.  This is not the wish of the scientist. He tried to make it safe.

A more careful reading will expose that "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah."  My Bible studies have proven to me that Our Father is a kind, forgiving, loving God.  He does NOT get angry without cause.  If you are not sure God is a good and kind God, please see my Bible study "Is God a Mean, Vindictive, Angry God?"

That means that Uzzah almost for sure KNEW it was wrong to touch the Ark, that God had forbidden it, and that God had set the penalty at death.  Uzzah either just didn't think and reacted, or didn't believe all the hype about the Ark, or had some other thoughts, but did not force himself to be obedient to God. There is a penalty for sin.  Being ignorant of the law does not make you innocent of wrong behavior. Try that tactic in a legal courtroom.

Not knowing the truth does not free us from having to obey the law. We are supposed to study and learn the truth with God's help.

Note that in Ecclesiastes 3:21, below, the exact same word for the "SPIRIT" of animals, and the "SPIRIT" of man, proving that this word is NOT indicating an "IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT."  Remember it is Hebrew so reads RIGHT to LEFT!

Consider this example:

ECCLESIASTES 12:7 in various translations:

KJV          "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it."

CEB         "before dust returns to the earth as it was before and the life-breath returns to God who gave it."

CEV         "So our bodies return to the earth, and the life-giving breath returns to God. "

GW          "Then the dust of mortals goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life goes back to God who gave it"

GNT         "Our bodies will return to the dust of the earth, and the breath of life will go back to God, who gave it to us."

LEB           "And the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

NOG           "Then the dust of mortals goes back to the ground as it was before, and the breath of life goes back to Elohim who gave it."

NABRE            "And the dust returns to the earth as it once was, and the life breath returns to God who gave it."

NET Bible   "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the life's breath returns to God who gave it.”

NRSV            "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

NRSVA      "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

NRSVACE "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

NRSVCE   "and the dust returns to the earth as it was, and the breath returns to God who gave it."

Above, twelve translations of the Bible say the “BREATH” returns to God, Yahweh, though KJV and many others say “SPIRIT.”

They are referring to Genesis 2:7

"And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." (Genesis 2:7)

Below, it is used of angels, as in angels being ministering spirits. While almost everyone ASSUMES the angels are innately immortal, please see my Bible Study "What Will Happen to the Devil" to see what the Bible says.

Below, it is used of a human, Pharaoh of Egypt. We glanced at this verse above, but here it is using BibleHub.com's wonderful study tool, their Interlinear Bible.

The body was created, but lifeless, so Yahweh put life into the man’s body. Nowhere does the Bible say this is an "IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT". For example, see Genesis 7:15.

"And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life" (Genesis 7:15)

This shows this is exactly the phrase and Hebrew words used for animals’ life force. And again see in Genesis 7:21-23.

"21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." (Genesis 7:21-23)

Notice that in the verse above, the word Strong's H2416 "Hayyim" or "Hayyah" we studied in the section above on "soul" is again used here, with the word Strong's H7307 "ruah". Together they mean "the breath of life."

Also see Psalm 104:25-29 which again uses the word "ruah" Strong's H7307 to mean "breath."

"25 So is this great and wide sea, wherein are things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts. 26 There go the ships: there is that leviathan, whom thou hast made to play therein. 27 These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. 28 That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. 29 Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. “(Psalm 104:25-29)

These and other verses show the same Hebrew words translated “SPIRIT” in man and animals, in “things creeping innumerable, both small and great beasts.” and in the leviathan. The point here is that a dozen translators saw it proper in one instance to use “breath” where many others chose to use “spirit.” How difficult it is to evaluate all these anomalies in Hebrew and Greek translations. I just go with the KJV, BUT with the realization there will be discrepancies, so we need to be very careful.

Below are the only 6 scriptures in the NIV translation and 4 in the KJV translation with the phrase "the breath of life" in the Bible. NIV & KJV are the same on the first four.

“6 But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. 7 And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul. 8 And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed." (Genesis 2:6-8)

"16 A window shalt thou make to the ark, and in a cubit shalt thou finish it above; and the door of the ark shalt thou set in the side thereof; with lower, second, and third stories shalt thou make it. 17 And, behold, I, even I, do bring a flood of waters upon the earth, to destroy all flesh, wherein is the breath of life, from under heaven; and every thing that is in the earth shall die. 18 But with thee will I establish my covenant; and thou shalt come into the ark, thou, and thy sons, and thy wife, and thy sons' wives with thee." (Genesis 6:16-18)

"14 They, and every beast after his kind, and all the cattle after their kind, and every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth after his kind, and every fowl after his kind, every bird of every sort. 15 And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life. 16 And they that went in, went in male and female of all flesh, as God had commanded him: and the Lord shut him in...” Genesis 7:22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died." (Genesis 7:14-16)

"21 And all flesh died that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man: 22 All in whose nostrils was the breath of life, of all that was in the dry land, died. 23 And every living substance was destroyed which was upon the face of the ground, both man, and cattle, and the creeping things, and the fowl of the heaven; and they were destroyed from the earth: and Noah only remained alive, and they that were with him in the ark." (Genesis 7:21-23)

Below are two verses, one shown from NIV and KJV, where “the breath of life” is used, and the same from KJV is slightly different. It is Strong's 5315 nephesh that is used.

"And to all the beasts of the earth and all the birds in the sky and all the creatures that move along the ground—everything that has the breath of life in it—I give every green plant for food.” And it was so."  (Genesis 1:30 NIV)

"And to every beast of the earth, and to every fowl of the air, and to every thing that creepeth upon the earth, wherein there is life, I have given every green herb for meat: and it was so." (Genesis 1:30 KJV)

For finishing our search on the phrase "the breath of life", the following scripture is shown, though it is from the New Testament.

"But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them." (Revelation 11:11 NIV)

"And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." (Revelation 11:11 KJV)

The two verses above are a great example of how translators must make a decision on what word to use.  Hopefully that decision is based solely on linguistic and grammatical considerations, taken in context of the rest of the writing. Even then, our best scholars disagree.  Adding to the problem of perfect translation, are the natural inclinations of the translator, and their inherent biases and doctrinal stance.

Some will say the slight difference in Revelation 11:11 in NIV compared to KJV is unimportant.

Others use it as a scripture to base a belief in an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in mankind from birth.

Since the same phrase is used of animals and humans, it is obvious it does not refer to an "IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT". As stated in more detail in the preface above, I debated including more Hebrew and Greek here, but my research found scholars with very erudite, brilliant and deep sounding, lengthy Hebrew and Greek discussions on the words for soul and spirit on both sides of the issue. But the highly educated authors of those intellectual studies couldn’t agree on soul and immortal spirit. So I will trust the two (2) major translations as show above.

As much as you may hope that man is different than the other animals, that the natural man, before believing in the Son of God, the Messiah, has some spark of God in him, consider the verses below.  Solomon asked God for wisdom and God gave him great wisdom.

"God gave Solomon very great wisdom and understanding, and knowledge as vast as the sands of the seashore." (1Kings 4:29 NIV)

Below is the writing of the WISEST man on Earth, a man of GREAT wisdom and understanding and knowledge!

"17 I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work. 18 I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts. 19 For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity. 20 All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again. 21 Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth? 22 Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?" (Ecclesiastes 3:17-22)

How clear can Yahweh be in the verse above? “Man has no preeminence above a beast”, and “as the one dieth, so dieth the other.”

This makes it very clear that the word spirit is used for man AND ANIMALS, and does not necessarily mean an IMMORTAL SPIRIT from birth.

The word in the verse below translated as "spirit" is Strong's H7307 - rûaḥ רוּחַ, as in all the other verses above.

"I Daniel was grieved in my spirit in the midst of my body, and the visions of my head troubled me." (Daniel 7:15)

"6 And Elihu the son of Barachel the Buzite answered and said, I am young, and ye are very old; wherefore I was afraid, and durst not shew you mine opinion.  7 I said, Days should speak, and multitude of years should teach wisdom.  8 But there is a spirit in man: and the inspiration of the Almighty giveth them understanding." (Job 32:6-8)

The Hebrew word translated "spirit" in Job 32:8 is again Strong's H7307 "ruah", defined as wind, breath, mind, spirit. This is tied to men understanding things, so it is about a mind of understanding, intellect. It is the same usage as the verses above this section, about skilled artisans, leaders, and warriors. It in no way proves there is an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humankind.

"6 Or ever the silver cord be loosed, or the golden bowl be broken, or the pitcher be broken at the fountain, or the wheel broken at the cistern.  7 Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it." (Ecclesiastes 12:6-7)

Above, in verse Ecclesiastes 12:7 "spirit" is Strong's H7307, wind, breath, mind, spirit.

The following verses are part of the great story of the passing of the mantle of Elijah, a Prophet of God, to his successor, Elisha.

"5 And the sons of the prophets that were at Jericho came to Elisha, and said unto him, Knowest thou that the Lord will take away thy master from thy head to day? And he answered, Yea, I know it; hold ye your peace. 6 And Elijah said unto him, Tarry, I pray thee, here; for the Lord hath sent me to Jordan. And he said, As the Lord liveth, and as thy soul liveth, I will not leave thee. And they two went on. 7 And fifty men of the sons of the prophets went, and stood to view afar off: and they two stood by Jordan. 8 And Elijah took his mantle, and wrapped it together, and smote the waters, and they were divided hither and thither, so that they two went over on dry ground. 9 And it came to pass, when they were gone over, that Elijah said unto Elisha, Ask what I shall do for thee, before I be taken away from thee. And Elisha said, I pray thee, let a double portion of thy spirit be upon me. 10 And he said, Thou hast asked a hard thing: nevertheless, if thou see me when I am taken from thee, it shall be so unto thee; but if not, it shall not be so. 11 And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there appeared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and parted them both asunder; and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven. 12 And Elisha saw it, and he cried, My father, my father, the chariot of Israel, and the horsemen thereof. And he saw him no more: and he took hold of his own clothes, and rent them in two pieces. 13 He took up also the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and went back, and stood by the bank of Jordan; 14 And he took the mantle of Elijah that fell from him, and smote the waters, and said, Where is the Lord God of Elijah? And when he also had smitten the waters, they parted hither and thither: and Elisha went over. 15 And when the sons of the prophets which were to view at Jericho saw him, they said, The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him." (2 Kings 2:5-15)

Again the word translated "spirit" in 2 Kings 2:9 and 2:15 is Strong's H3707 "ruah". This is in reference to the Spirit of God that was given to Elijah the great prophet of God, not some IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT that was in Elijah from his birth.

The following is King David telling God that even in his troubled times; he is placing his "spirit" into the hands of God. This is a statement of trusting God and placing your life in His hands.  It is in no way a proof of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humankind from birth.

"3 For thou art my rock and my fortress; therefore for thy name's sake lead me, and guide me. 4 Pull me out of the net that they have laid privily for me: for thou art my strength. 5 Into thine hand I commit my spirit: thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth. 6 I have hated them that regard lying vanities: but I trust in the Lord..." (Psalm 31:3-6)

Strong's H7307 "ruah" spirit is used in both verses below.  In the first, Psalm 51:10 it is used with an adjective translated as right, steadfast, loyal, faithful, resolute, and more. Remember this word ruah is also translated as "mind".  This is not proof of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humankind. The second usage, in Psalm 51:11 has an adjective to identify it as God's Holy Spirit.

"10 Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. 11 Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me." (Psalm 51:10-11)

Below are five verses from Proverbs, one from Psalms, and one from Zechariah, that have words that have been translated "spirit" in English.

"All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes; but the Lord weigheth the spirits." (Proverbs 16:2)

"He that hath knowledge spareth his words: and a man of understanding is of an excellent spirit." (Proverbs 17:27)

"The spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?" (Proverbs 18:14)

"The spirit of man is the candle of the Lord, searching all the inward parts of the belly." (Proverbs 20:27)

"A man's pride shall bring him low: but honour shall uphold the humble in spirit." (Proverbs 29:23)

"Blessed is the man unto whom the Lord imputeth not iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no guile." (Psalm 32:2)

"The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the foundation of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him." (Zechariah 12:1)

I do not think there is a need to examine dozens of more verses with the word "ruah" to show that the word does not indicate an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in man from birth. If you find a Biblical reference to an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humankind from birth, please send me that reference at dan@vigilantvaliant.com.

NEW TESTAMENT

Of course we want the knowledge of what the WHOLE Bible says about an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit, so we must include the Greek of the New Testament.

Some may say God changed what He did between the Old and New Testaments, but God Himself says He does not change. So let's check out the usage of the words "soul" and "spirit" in the New Testament, like we did in the Old Testament.

GREEK FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

The New Testament of the Bible, the books of the Bible written after the resurrection of Yeshua were written in Greek, to the best of current knowledge.  So let's examine the Greek words for soul and spirit, to see if any verse proves the existence of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in humankind from their birth.

GREEK - SOUL

Strong's G5590. Psuché or psyche

Definition = breath, the soul

Original Word: ψυχή, ῆς, ἡ

Usage: (a) the vital breath, breath of life, (b) the human soul, (c) the soul as the seat of affections and will, (d) the self, (e) a human person, an individual.

The first New Testament verse below shows the soul can be DESTOYED, and therefore the soul of a man does not mean an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in mankind from birth.

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

"For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?" (Matthew 16:26)

Above, if there was an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in man from his birth, wouldn't Yeshua be saying "spirit" above?

"Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind." (Matthew 22:37)

Again, if there was an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in man from his birth, wouldn't Yeshua be saying "spirit" above?

Below, Yeshua is using "soul" in the meaning of "heart" or seat of emotions.

"36 Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. 37 And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. 38 Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me." (Matthew 26:36-38)

And yet again, it is the "soul" that God is requiring of the man, as he dies, not some IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

"19 And I will say to my soul, Soul, thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be merry. 20 But God said unto him, Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" (Luke 12:19-21)

It is of great importance that Peter used Strong's Greek, to quote King David's Hebrew Strong's H5325 "nephesh" or "napsi".  The quote from Peter is in Greek, but he is quoting King David's Hebrew from the Old Testament.

"9 Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. 10 For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 11 Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy; at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore." (Psalm 16:9-11)

"26 Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad; moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: 27 Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. 28 Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy countenance." (Acts 2:26-28)

Remember the Hebrew is read Right to Left.

The Greek is read Left to Right, like English.

Yeshua Himself says that God can destroy the "soul".

So we have a the equivalency of the Hebrew word Hebrew Strong's H5325 "nephesh" or "napsi" with the Greek Strong's G5590 "psuché" by a person not only fluent in both languages at that time, but also well trained in the teaching of Yeshua from His own mouth.

"And fear not them which kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul: but rather fear him which is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." (Matthew 10:28)

Again, in both occurrences of the word "soul" above, the word Strong's G5590 "psychen" is used. That makes the soul MORTAL!

Strong's G5590 is used also again in Revelation 16:3, describing the vials of punishment poured out on the Earth in the End Times.

"And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man: and every living soul died in the sea." (Revelation 16:3)

It says "in" the sea, not "on" the sea, so this is not aimed at humans, but all animals, all creatures in the seas and oceans will die.  I know it is sad; however there is no sea in the New Earth, created after the current Earth is destroyed.

The point here is to again see that "soul" was used for "living creature", and not an immortal soul in mankind from birth.

What has our glance at the Greek used for "soul" in the New Testament shown us?  We have learned that it is talking about exactly what the definition we saw at the start of this section said: the breath of life, or the human soul, the soul as the seat of affections and will, or the self, or a human person, an individual.  NOWHERE, in any verse, did it prove the existence of an immortal human soul in mankind from birth.

What about the word "spirit"?

GREEK - SPIRIT

Strong's G4151 pneuma

Definition: wind, spirit

Original Word: πνεῦμα, ατος, τό

Usage: wind, breath, spirit.

Greek words translated "spirit" occur 287 times in the New Testament of the Bible, therefore we will not be examining all of them, but those that are of interest.  If you find I have overlooked an occurrence that seems to prove humans have an immortal spirit from birth, please let me know at dan@vigilantvaliant.com, so I can include it.

Since the quest here is to see if any verse of scripture in the New Testament proves the existence of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT existing in a human from birth, we will not be looking at the uses of the word "spirit" when used of Yahweh, God the Father, or Yeshua, The Son of God, or of angels, either good or evil.

"39 And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. 40 And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? 41 Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. 42 He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. 43 And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy." (Matthew 26:39-43)

As seen in our Hebrew study, we will see that the Greek word for "spirit" can also mean the mind, or heart of a person, as in the seat of emotions.  Matthew 26:41 above does have Yeshua using the word "spirit" for the willpower, or heartfelt desires of his Apostles. But this is not a doctrinal statement of an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT in a man from birth. This same incident is in Mark 14:38 so that will not be repeated.

Below, it says her spirit came again, when Yeshua brought a young girl back to life.

"49 While he yet spake, there cometh one from the ruler of the synagogue's house, saying to him, Thy daughter is dead; trouble not the Master. 50 But when Jesus heard it, he answered him, saying, Fear not: believe only, and she shall be made whole. 51 And when he came into the house, he suffered no man to go in, save Peter, and James, and John, and the father and the mother of the maiden. 52 And all wept, and bewailed her: but he said, Weep not; she is not dead, but sleepeth. 53 And they laughed him to scorn, knowing that she was dead. 54 And he put them all out, and took her by the hand, and called, saying, Maid, arise. 55 And her spirit came again, and she arose straightway: and he commanded to give her meat. 56 And her parents were astonished: but he charged them that they should tell no man what was done." (Luke 8:49-56)

From the verse above, Luke 8:55 shows there is a spirit in a human that keeps them alive. This agrees with James 2:26 below.

“For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)

Both verse selections above use the English word "spirit" for Strong's G4151 pneuma.  Remember Strong's usage is "wind, breath, spirit" in that order.

According to the Oxford Dictionary:

"Pneuma (πνεῦμα‎‎, Lat. spiritus) is connected etymologically with πνέω‎‎, breathe or blow, and has a basic meaning of ‘air in motion’ or ‘breath’ as something necessary to life. In Greek tragedy it is used for the ‘breath of life’ and it is the ‘Spirit’ of the New Testament. In early Greek thought pneuma is often connected with the soul; in Aristotle it frequently denotes ‘warm air’, sometimes ‘heat’, and the term is also used of seismic winds which are trapped within the earth. Its precise meaning, then, must always be determined in its context."

So whether pneuma is translated as wind, or breath, or blow, or spirit is all in the preconceived notion of the translator.

While we previewed the following verses in the Old Testament Hebrew section, that was for the phrase "the breath of life".  Here we see it again to see if it necessarily means an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in man from birth.

"But after the three and a half days the breath of life from God entered them, and they stood on their feet, and terror struck those who saw them." (Revelation 11:11 NIV)

"And after three days and an half the spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them." (Revelation 11:11 KJV)

Note that above, the NIV says "the breath of life" and the KJV says "spirit of life".  It is not a definitive proof of an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in man from birth.

"3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price." (1 Peter 3:4)

While 1 Peter 3:4 above says a spirit is "not corruptible" this would be a very weak support of humans having an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT from birth. However, it is understandable that some may use this verse to state so.

"To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus." (1 Corinthians 5:5)

"For they have refreshed my spirit and yours: therefore acknowledge ye them that are such." (1 Corinthians 16:18)

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Corinthians 7:1)

"For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also." (James 2:26)

"And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit." (Acts 7:59)

So looking at all the scriptures from the New Testament above on Soul and Spirit, we see that while they do use the word spirit about men, as some non-physical part, none prove definitively that this is an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in man from birth.

ALL SCRIPTURES IN THE BIBLE MENTIONING BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

This section studies verses that are of great interest, in that they contain both the word for spirit and soul. I have collected only those were both are used of a man seemingly indicating parts of a man, as in body, soul, and spirit.

It should be noted there are only 11 of these verses in the Bible. Six of these verses are in the Old Testament, and five are in the New Testament.  We will study them below; in the order they appear in the Bible.

OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

The first Old Testament scripture with both the words "soul" and "spirit" is in Leviticus.

"And the soul that turneth after such as have familiar spirits, and after wizards, to go a whoring after them, I will even set my face against that soul, and will cut him off from among his people." (Leviticus 20:6)

This is an injunction from God against listening to fortune tellers, witches, wizards, sorcerers and the like. The "familiar spirit" was an evil spirit, a demon. The "soul" is just the person who disobeyed this command. There is no indication of an immortal spirit in mankind in this verse.

The second scripture we encounter is speaking of Hannah, the mother of Samuel, who cried to Yahweh because she was childless. As she was praying to God and moving her lips, Eli the priest saw her and thought she was drunk. When he told her to stop getting drunk, Hannah replied the following to explain she was not drunk, but grieved.

"And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the Lord." (1 Samuel 1:15)

The third verse ALSO speaks of the soul, and the spirit.  Let's check the Hebrew.

"11 Therefore I will not refrain my mouth; I will speak in the anguish of my spirit; I will complain in the bitterness of my soul." (Job 7:11)

Once again, from BibleHub Interlinear Bible:

In Job 7:11 above, the word translated as "SPIRIT" is a form of Strong's 7307 ruah, and the word translated as "SOUL" is a form of Strong's H5315 nephesh.

An excellent example of translation being guided by preexisting mindset, note Job 12:10.in five translations, all different.

This is included here though KJV does not have "soul" & "spirit", other translations do.

"7 But ask now the beasts, and they shall teach thee; and the fowls of the air, and they shall tell thee: 8 Or speak to the earth, and it shall teach thee: and the fishes of the sea shall declare unto thee. 9 Who knoweth not in all these that the hand of the Lord hath wrought this?

10 In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:7-10 KJV)

"In his hand is the life of every creature and the breath of all mankind." (Job 12:10 NIV)

"Because in his hand are the souls of everything that lives and the spirit of all flesh and man" (Job 12:10 ABPE)

"and that the life of every living thing rests in his control, along with the breath of every living human being?" (Job 12:10 ISV)

"In whose hand [is] the breath of every living thing, And the spirit of all flesh of man." (Job 12:10 LSV)

From the excellent Bible Hub Interlinear Bible we see the following. BOTH "nepes" (soul OR life) and "ruah" (breath OR spirit) are used in one sentence.

In the fourth verse, below, Isaiah is telling God how he desires to worship Him.

"8 Yea, in the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee. 9 With my soul have I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek thee early: for when thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isaiah 26:8-9)

Remember spirit can also be translated "breath."

In the fifth verse in the Old Testament with both the words "soul" and "spirit," God is speaking of His Soul and His Spirit.

"Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles." (Isaiah 42:1)

Finally, the sixth verse is again from Isaiah.

"For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made." (Isaiah 57:16)

How often in life have we "lost spirit", or had our "spirit fail?"  This may well be talking about spirit as emotional energy, like team spirit.  Regardless of how you take the meaning, it is not proof of an immortal spirit in humans from birth.

These six verses in the Old Testament do mention a soul and spirit in man as two separate things.

It should be noted that Hannah, Job, and Isaiah, the speakers of the verses above, were all close to God and probably saved, righteous people.   Therefore they are likely to have received the Holy Spirit of God.

Nevertheless, not just dismissing these verses, while they do indicate a spirit of some kind in people, none prove this is an IMMORTAL SPIRIT from birth in EVERY human.

I am including this verse in this section, though the spirit spoken of is clearly the Holy Spirit of God, for the Bible makes it clear that those who love Yahweh, who try their best to obey Yahweh, He puts some of His spirit in them, to help them along the way.

"13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John. 14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth. 15 For he shall be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb. 16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the Lord their God. 17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord." (Luke 1:13-17)

"25 And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. 26 And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ." (Luke 2:25-26)

God puts some of His spirit in certain people to do certain jobs.

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

Now we will look at the five New Testament verses that have BOTH words soul and spirit in them.

In the first verse in the New Testament using both "spirit" and "soul," Yahweh is speaking of His Soul and His Spirit.

"Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall shew judgment to the Gentiles." (Matthew 12:18)

The selection of three verses below are not part of our five verse count, because "soul" and "spirit" are in two separate verses.  Nevertheless, for thoroughness sake, we include them here, unnumbered. We see Mary's prayer when she learned she would bear the Savior. She mentions both her soul and her spirit, so a person could say it shows a person has a spirit.  Note however that it also perfectly fits the meaning of her emotional seat, or her mind.

"46 And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, 47 and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. 48 For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed." (Luke 1:46-48)

The second verse in the New Testament using both "spirit" and "soul" is in 1 Corinthians.

"And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit." (1 Corinthians 15:45)

This is contrasting Adam the first human soul, and Christ, a spirit who could bring life to others.

The third verse is

"And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit (Strong's G5141) and soul (Strong's G5590) and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ." (1 Thessalonians 5:23)

Above, G5141 is again "pneuma" and G5590 is "psyche".

Some of these verses above are speaking of Mary, Yeshua's mother, and of Paul's audience, the church, the saved people in Thessalonica. Therefore it is talking about those who have received the Holy Spirit of God.

Forms of both Strong's G5590 "psyche" and Strong's G4151 "pneuma" are used in the fourth verse, Hebrews 4:12 below.

"For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart." (Hebrews 4:12)

The verse above written to the Hebrews in the church, therefore saved, Born Again Christians who had received the Holy Spirit of God.

Even if we take this to be a general statement about all humans, it speaks of some kind of spirit, not an IMMORTAL SPIRIT in humans from birth.

The fifth and last New Testament verse using both "spirit" and "soul" is speaking of God's Spirit and human souls.

"Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently:" (1 Peter 1:22)

Remember in this study, the burden of proof is on those who would say the Bible teaches an IMMORTAL SOUL or SPIRIT in all humankind from birth, as an innate part of a human being, from birth.

While some verses DO have both "soul" and "spirit" in them, they might serve as an ancillary support for some stronger verse, some direct and powerfully clear verse, but I can find no such verse.

Have we seen any scripture in the Bible that proves there is an IMMORTAL SOUL or SPIRIT in all humankind from birth?

DO HUMANS HAVE A SOUL OR SPIRIT THAT WILL LIVE FOREVER?

What does the Bible say about any part of a human living forever?

“Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him.” (1 John 3:15)

Read that carefully. It says the unsaved do NOT have eternal life. It does NOT SAY the murderer's soul or spirit will have eternal life in the Lake of Fire, or hell, or Hades, or Gehenna, or anywhere. It says the murderer does NOT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, either in an immortal soul or an immortal spirit.

In fact, the Bible says that, after they sinned, God threw humans out of the Garden of Eden specifically so they would NOT eat of the Tree of Life, and LIVE FOREVER.

"22 And the Lord God said, Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: 23 Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. 24 So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life." (Genesis 3:22-24)

If humankind already possessed an immortal soul or spirit, they would have no need to eat of the fruit of the Tree of Life. It would have been meaningless for God to say the verse above.   Do you think God says meaningless things, and does meaningless acts, like throwing man out of the Garden of Eden?

The Book of Revelation in the NEW TESTMENT confirms God's statement in Genesis, the last book reaffirming the first.

"He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God." (Revelation 2:7)

"Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life, and may enter in through the gates into the city." (Revelation 22:14)

Humans must "overcome", to gain the "right to the Tree of Life" by the Throne of God that now resides in Heaven.

This is a straightforward statement from Yahweh, The Living God, that humans are not born with an IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT, and do not have an innate right to eternal life.

"11 But thou, O man of God, flee these things; and follow after righteousness, godliness, faith, love, patience, meekness. 12 Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses. 13 I give thee charge in the sight of God, who quickeneth all things, and before Christ Jesus, who before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good confession; 14 That thou keep this commandment without spot, unrebukable, until the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ: 15 Which in his times he shall shew, who is the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; 16 Who only hath immortality, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power everlasting. Amen." (1 Timothy 6:11-16)

How can Bible readers have any doubt that humans are NOT born with an immortal soul or spirit, when Paul states point blank that ONLY GOD HAS IMMORTALITY in Himself, as an innate part of His being?  It is He and He alone who gives eternal life to those He chooses, those who properly seek to "lay hold on eternal life".  He has given it to the Holy angels who have obeyed Him and done His will, and others who believe and obey Him, even His own Son, our Messiah. If Yahweh gives immortal life as a gift to those who believe and obey, those who do NOT believe and obey do not receive the gift and do NOT have eternal life.

Also Paul states straight out that man is mortal and corruptible, and must be changed to enter the Kingdom of God. That is exactly the opposite of having and immortal soul.  If mankind already had immortality, Paul would not say "this mortal must put on immortality."

"50 Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorruption. 51 Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, 52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:50-55)

Only one being, one entity, The Living God, has eternal life inherent as part of who they are.

"19 Then answered Jesus and said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. 20 For the Father loveth the Son, and sheweth him all things that himself doeth: and he will shew him greater works than these, that ye may marvel. 21 For as the Father raiseth up the dead, and quickeneth them; even so the Son quickeneth whom he will. 22 For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23 That all men should honour the Son, even as they honour the Father. He that honoureth not the Son honoureth not the Father which hath sent him. 24 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. 25 Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live. 26 For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27 And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. 28 Marvel not at this: for the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, 29 And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. 30 I can of mine own self do nothing: as I hear, I judge: and my judgment is just; because I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent me." (John 5:19-30)

Yeshua Himself confirms what Paul said above, for He tells us both that His Father has life "in himself", and that God the Father has given to the Son of God, Yeshua, to have life "in Himself."  He also stresses that Judgment Day is coming, and all will be resurrected, those who have done good to eternal life, and those that have done evil to damnation. It doesn't matter if that sounds harsh to some people. It doesn't matter if they don't believe.  God's Son, Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah) says it is going to happen.

The devil says to humans "Ye shall not surely die." (Genesis 3:4)

Yahweh says to humans "Thou shalt surely die." (Genesis 2:17)

But then offers them the GIFT of eternal life IF they believe and obey.

Who are YOU going to believe?

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS ARE IMMORTAL OR INCORRUPTIBLE?

The word "immortal" or "immortality" is found only 6 times in the Bible, ALL in the New Testament. Two of those times it is used in the Epistle 1 Timothy, and refers to God.

Of the other four uses are of those SEEKING immortality, clearly showing they DO NOT HAVE IMMORTALITY.  Of these, two are found in 1 Corinthians. We have seen this verse before, but let's look at it again.

"52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.  53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory." (1 Corinthians 15:52-54)

Read that again.

Firstly, "we shall be changed" is FUTURE TENSE, not past or even present, as is "shall have put on." These are future events, meaning even the saved do NOT HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL from birth.

Secondly, "this mortal shall have put on immortality." Paul says point blank "this MORTAL".  For those who try to say he is speaking only of the body, PROVE THAT!  Paul also says "we shall be changed."  In neither case does he say body.

If mankind already possesses an IMMORTAL SOUL, why would Paul say "this mortal"?  If the essence of a man, his soul or spirit, was immortal, would not Paul say we are IMMORTAL?  If we have an immortal soul, would the body rotting in the greave make us mortal?  Or is that disposable, like your hair after being cut off?  If they bury your hair, have they killed YOU?

Do you honestly believe that 1 Corinthians 15:53 above proves all humankind is IMMORTAL, but has a MORTAL body?

Paul says "the dead shall be raised" and "we shall be changed."  He says "FOR THIS MORTAL MUST PUT ON IMMORTALITY." When he says "this mortal", of whom is he speaking?  He has just said "WE shall be changed."

Some would like to read that as "And we who are an immortal soul must put on an immortal body."

Is that what you think it truly means?  Could Paul not have written the sentence just as I wrote above to make it very clear?

But he did NOT!

The other time immortality is used is in Romans 2:7.

"To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" (Romans 2:7)

Paul is speaking to the church in Rome, believers who have been saved, baptized, and Born Again.  Yet Paul says they are SEEKING IMMORTALITY!   Why would anyone seek what they already have? This clearly says straightforward that these save, baptized, and Born Again Christians ARE NOT IMMORTAL and do NOT HAVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL OR SPIRIT.

Paul says that eternal life and immortality are brought by Jesus Christ.  If brought to mankind, they are not already possessed by mankind.

"9 Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began, 10 But is now made manifest by the appearing of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel:" (2 Timothy 1:9-10)

The term 'incorruptible" can mean immortal, and that is used only 4 times in the Bible

The use below in 1 Corinthians 9:25 again shows we are SEEKING an incorruptible crown, or immortality, meaning we do NOT HAVE IT YET.

"And every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible." (1 Corinthians 9:25)

"In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed." (1 Corinthians 15:52)

Above we see the dead shall be raised incorruptible, showing we are NOT currently incorruptible.

"3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, 4 To an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, 5 Who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time." (1 Peter 1:3-5)

Again, we HOPE for a resurrection to an incorruptible inheritance.

"22 Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently: 23 Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. 24 For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof falleth away:" (1 Peter 1:22-24)

Above, the last use of the word "incorruptible" in the Bible is after being BORN AGAIN. Some may argue here that we gain immortality immediately upon being Born Again.  Debating that is not part of this study, though you should read Romans 2:7 above again.  The question being researched is "Is there an immortal soul or spirit in man from birth."

None of the verses above prove we do.

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

The phrase "Eternal Life" is found 26 times in the Bible, all in the New Testament.

Every one of these 26 occurrences concern people asking Yeshua how to GAIN eternal life (they know they do not have), or of Yeshua telling people how to GAIN the eternal life (they DON'T HAVE), or Yeshua GIVING them eternal life (they don't have), or of eternal life being a GIFT from God (which they don't have yet). Not one verse says humans HAVE ETERNAL LIFE from birth.

"And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?" (Matthew 19:16)

"And when he was gone forth into the way, there came one running, and kneeled to him, and asked him, Good Master, what shall I do that I may inherit eternal life?" (Mark 10:17)

"But he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life." (Mark 10:30)

"And, behold, a certain lawyer stood up, and tempted him, saying, Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 10:25)

"And a certain ruler asked him, saying, Good Master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?" (Luke 18:18)

"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life." (John 3:15)

The opposite of "have eternal life" is "perish," not "have eternal life but somewhere else, not in heaven."

"Search the scriptures; for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me." (John 5:39)

"Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:54)

"Then Simon Peter answered him, Lord, to whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life." (John 6:68)

"And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand." (John 10:28)

Again, the opposite of "eternal life" is "perish", not "eternal life" somewhere else.

"As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him." (John 17:2)

"And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." (Acts 13:48)

"To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:" (Romans 2:7)

"That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 5:21)

"For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:23)

Does the Bible say the wages of sin is eternal life in torture in Hell? No! It says "the wages of sin is death."

"Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life, whereunto thou art also called, and hast professed a good profession before many witnesses." (1 Timothy 6:12)

"Laying up in store for themselves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eternal life." (1 Timothy 6:19)

"In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began;" (Titus 1:2)

"That being justified by his grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternal life." (Titus 3:7)

"(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us;)" (1 John 1:2)

"And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life." (1 John 2:25)

"Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer: and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him." (1 John 3:15)

Read the verse above again. This one verse should put the question we seek to rest. It is considering a murderer to be an unsaved, not Born Again person.  That is all people who have hated someone DO NOT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE, either in heaven, or in the Lake of Fire, or anywhere. If they repent and believe in Yeshua, and obey Him, then they can gain the gift of eternal life.

"And this is the record that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in his Son." (1 John 5:11)

If God has "given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son", then before we believed in His Son, we did NOT HAVE ETERNAL LIFE abiding in us.

"These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life, and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God." (1 John 5:13)

One friend has put significance on the verse above saying that "ye HAVE" eternal life.  Once a person is Born Again by repenting, confessing, and believing in Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah), then they have eternal life, IF they don't lose it, by going into perdition.

"And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life." (1 John 5:20)

As always, these say nothing about an unsaved, not Born Again human having eternal life, but of SEEKING IT.

If you find a Bible scripture clearly saying humans, from birth, not being Born Again, possess eternal life, or an immortal soul, or an eternal spirit, please share that scripture with me at Dan@vigilantvaliant.com.

HOW DO HUMANS RECEIVE A SPIRIT?

If humans do not possess an immortal spirit from birth, how can they ever gain immortality in eternal life?

Yeshua directly told Nicodemus what it takes for a person to see the Kingdom of God.

The phrase "born again" is found only three times in the bible, both in the King James Version KJV and the New International Version NIV.

"Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God." (John 3:3)

"Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again." (John 3:7)

"Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." (1 Peter 1:23)

Let's examine these closely, as they are from the very mouth of the Savior, Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

The entire story of Nicodemus is found in John 3:1-18.

1 There was a man of the Pharisees, named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews: 2 The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him, Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him." (John 3:1-2)

So we see Nicodemus was a Pharisee, a religious man.  We see he came to Yeshua to ask questions in an honest way, seeking the truth, not trying to trap Him, as the Pharisees and Sadducees had often done.

"3 Jesus answered and said unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. 4 Nicodemus saith unto him, How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? 5 Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. 6 That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. 7 Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again. 8 The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is born of the Spirit." (John 3:3-8)

Yeshua is very clear in His statement.  The natural man CAN NOT enter the Kingdom of God. Humans MUST be "Born Again".  So humans must be "born of water and of the Spirit."  There may be some debate whether being "born of water" means the natural human birth when a woman's water breaks, or if that means baptism.  But that doesn't matter for our study here.  It is the next part that was the crux of salvation, the basis for immortality, in eternal life.

9 Nicodemus answered and said unto him, How can these things be? 10 Jesus answered and said unto him, Art thou a master of Israel, and knowest not these things? 11 Verily, verily, I say unto thee, We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen; and ye receive not our witness. 12 If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things? 13 And no man hath ascended up to heaven, but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of man which is in heaven. 14 And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up: 15 That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life. 16 For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 17 For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. 18 He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God." (John 3:1-18)

Yeshua answers Nicodemus' question on HOW to be BORN AGAIN of the SPIRIT by saying whoever believes in Him, the only begotten Son of God, would have eternal life. That eternal life means they would have an immortal spirit.  So the dozens and dozens of scriptures above show that man does NOT HAVE AN IMMORTAL SPIRIT from birth, their first natural physical birth by water. Yeshua states that clearly here. Humans must be Born Again, Born of the Spirit.  THEN and THEN ONLY do they have a spirit that can live forever.

Paul explains to the Corinthians that the "natural man" can not understand spiritual things, but the one who has repented and believes in Yeshua Hamashiach (Jesus the Messiah) has received the Holy Spirit of the Living God. They are Born Again of the Spirit. Therefore THEY CAN understand spiritual things.

"11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1Corinthians 2:11-14)

"I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (Galatians 2:20)

Speaking to when this immortal life will begin, Paul says it will be at the return of Yeshua to Earth.

"20 But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept. 21 For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ's at his coming. 24 Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority and power. 25 For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 27 For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him, it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. 28 And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all." (1 Corinthians 15:20-28)

Continuing on this theme, Paul tells us exactly when we will receive immortality. At the return of Christ, believers, whether dead and in the grave, or alive, will put on immortality. Obviously, if Paul is saying we are MORTAL, and must "put on immortality" at that time, we do not have an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit before then.

"52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 53 For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. 54 So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up in victory. 55 O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?" (1 Corinthians 15:52-55)

This is reinforcing what Paul had told the Thessalonians earlier, that at the last trumpet call, Yeshua will return to Earth, and raise the believing dead, and with those believers who are still alive, will give them eternal life.

"14 For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. 15 For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. 16 For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: 17 Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord." (1 Thessalonians 4:14-17)

This is confirming what Yeshua Himself said about a resurrection of the saved, or the just.

"12 Then said he also to him that bade him, When thou makest a dinner or a supper, call not thy friends, nor thy brethren, neither thy kinsmen, nor thy rich neighbours; lest they also bid thee again, and a recompence be made thee. 13 But when thou makest a feast, call the poor, the maimed, the lame, the blind: 14 And thou shalt be blessed; for they cannot recompense thee: for thou shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." (Luke 14:12-14)

Yeshua had promised ETERNAL LIFE to those who believed in Him.  But it was hard to have that sink in. When His friend Lazarus had died, Yeshua had this discussion with Martha, Lazarus' sister. She already knew the just would rise at the last day, the last trump.  But Yeshua told her it is HE who gives eternal life, and can make us immortal.

"21 Then said Martha unto Jesus, Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died. 22 But I know, that even now, whatsoever thou wilt ask of God, God will give it thee. 23 Jesus saith unto her, Thy brother shall rise again. 24 Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day. 25 Jesus said unto her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: 26 And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this? 27 She saith unto him, Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." (John 11:21-27)

Yeshua never let there be any doubt about when He would give eternal life to those who believe. He repeats here that He will raise them up "at the last day."

"39 And this is the Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day. 40 And this is the will of him that sent me, that every one which seeth the Son, and believeth on him, may have everlasting life: and I will raise him up at the last day. 41 The Jews then murmured at him, because he said, I am the bread which came down from heaven. 42 And they said, Is not this Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? How is it then that he saith, I came down from heaven? 43 Jesus therefore answered and said unto them, Murmur not among yourselves. 44 No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day." (John 6:39-44)

"47 Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. 48 I am that bread of life. 49 Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead. 50 This is the bread which cometh down from heaven, that a man may eat thereof, and not die. 51 I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. 52 The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? 53 Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. 54 Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. 55 For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed. 56 He that eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. 57 As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father: so he that eateth me, even he shall live by me. 58 This is that bread which came down from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever." (John 6:47-58)

Some gross people say Yeshua is preaching cannibalism here. That is only in their own twisted minds. Remember at Passover the Passover Lamb was to be roasted and EATEN by the believers. Yeshua is obviously talking about accepting His sacrifice of His body and blood on the cross at His crucifixion, as our Passover Lamb. At that "last supper" Passover meal, Yeshua commanded us to observe that Passover Feast meal in remembrance of Him, by drinking wine and eating bread in the Passover meal, meaning we accept His offer of salvation, and make Him our Lord and Savior. That acceptance makes Him our personal Passover Lamb.

Remember John the Baptist identified Yeshua as the Lamb of God.

"The next day John seeth Jesus coming unto him, and saith, Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world." (John 1:29)

Reviewing these last few verses, and how Yeshua spoke about the resurrection on the last day, at the last trump, there is no way an honest reading can say this is only the empty and rotted body He is speaking of, but the entirety of the person.

Also note that Yeshua says He was offering up His body and blood to gain eternal life for believers. He says to those who do NOT accept Him, Yeshua, as their savior "ye have no life in you." (John 6:53)

Let that sink in.  The unsaved HAVE NO LIFE IN THEM.   Obviously they are walking around with a soul, a nephesh.  Like Adam and Eve after they sinned. But they had lost the chance at eternal life, at immortality.  These people who do NOT accept Jesus as their Lord and Savior HAVE NO LIFE in them (John 6:53).  They do NOT have an IMMORTAL SOUL or spirit.

"If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him?” (Luke 11:13)

"Then Peter said unto them, Repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins, and ye shall receive the gift of the Holy Ghost." (Acts 2:38)

"37 In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. 38 He that believeth on me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. 39 (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified.)" "John 7:37-39"

The Holy Spirit is a GIFT from Yahweh, our God.  Eternal life is also a GIFT from God.  Gifts are the giving of something we don't have, so that we WILL HAVE it, when the gift is given.

"22 But now being made free from sin, and become servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life. 23 For the wages of sin is death; but the gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord." (Romans 6:22-23)

How very strongly the two verse selections from above PROVE that mankind is NOT BORN with an immortal soul, and is NOT BORN with eternal life.  BOTH are GIFTS FROM GOD, The Living God, Yahweh, The God of Abraham, through His Son and our Savior, Yeshua Hamashiach, Jesus the Messiah.

The following is a great scripture quote from Paul, who shows that the "natural man" CAN NOT discern the things of the spirit, because he doesn't have the spirit of God in him.  But to those who believe and are baptized, God has given the "spirit which is of God."

"9 But as it is written, Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. 10 But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. 11 For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? Even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God. 13 Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual. 14 But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned." (1 Corinthians 2:9-14)

Above, Paul says believers have not received the "spirit of this world".  He seems to say that is the spirit in the "natural man" that can not understand spiritual things.   So those scriptures that seem to say there is a spirit in the natural, unsaved man, may be indicating this "spirit of this world", which is clearly not a personal, immortal spirit.

"And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. 2 I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, neither yet now are ye able." (1 Corinthians 3:1-2)

"17 But, beloved, remember ye the words which were spoken before of the apostles of our Lord Jesus Christ; 18 How that they told you there should be mockers in the last time, who should walk after their own ungodly lusts. 19 These be they who separate themselves, sensual, having not the Spirit." (Jude 1:17-19)

Paul says the carnal cannot understand spiritual things. Those who mock Jews and Christians are these sensual, carnal people, who do not understand, because they CAN NOT understand, for spiritual things are discerned by the spirit.

14 But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. 15 This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish 16 For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work." (James 3.14-16)

"23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." (John 4.23–24)

Later in the First Epistle to the Corinthians, Paul confirms and emphasizes that when baptized in the name of Yeshua (Jesus) believers received the Spirit of God.  Some people believe God is so kind that He will save ALL PEOPLE.  This scripture says otherwise.

"9 Know ye not that the unrighteous shall not inherit the kingdom of God? Be not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with mankind, 10 Nor thieves, nor covetous, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor extortioners, shall inherit the kingdom of God. 11 And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God." (1 Corinthians 6:9-11)

The Holy Spirit of God believers receive is called "the spirit of adoption."

"14 For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God.  15 For ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.  16 The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God:" (Romans 8:14-16)

What is the end of those who do not accept Yeshua as their Lord and Savior? Their end is DESTRUCTION, not eternal life in hell.  If you are not sure of that, please see my study "Will Humans Be Tortured Forever in Hell"?

"18 For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: 19 Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things." (Philippians 3:18-19)

VERSES USED TRYING TO PROVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL IN MAN FROM BIRTH

The following verses are addressed because they are used by Bible studies attempting to prove that humans have an IMMORTAL SOUL from birth, that will live eternally either in heaven (which is NOT the end of the saved) or eternally in hell (by which they mean the Lake of Fire). The word hell is not in the Bible at all, whether Hebrew or Greek.  It is an amalgamation of Hades, Sheol, Gehanna, and Tartarus.  See my study "Will Humans Be Tortured Forever In Hell"?

"The meek shall eat and be satisfied: they shall praise the Lord that seek him: your heart shall live for ever." (Psalm 22:26 KJV)

First, note this says your "heart" shall live forever, and in no translation I could find is it translated "soul" or "spirit".

Second, compare this with what Yeshua said in His sermon on the mount.

"Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth." (Matthew 5:5)

Does Yeshua mean ALL humans that are meek will be saved and earn an eternal life of immortality? Does this hold for even murderers that are meek? I believe almost all will agree that Yeshua means that all believe in Him, and are meek also, will be raised at the resurrection to live in the New Earth which will be governed by the Kingdom of God.

This does not in any way prove that all humans have an immortal soul from birth.

"Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." (Psalm 23:6)

This is a Psalm of King David, whom Yahweh calls a man after His own heart.  David is clearly one of the faithful, with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and one of the saved who receive the Holy Spirit of God.

This does not in any way prove that all humans have an immortal soul from birth.

"7 None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him: 8 (For the redemption of their soul is precious, and it ceaseth for ever:) 9 That he should still live for ever, and not see corruption." (Psalm 49:7-9)

Again, this is about men being "saved", "redeemed", and living forever.  This does not in any way prove that all humans have an immortal soul from birth.

"For which cause we faint not; but though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day." (2 Corinthians 4:16)

The "inward man" being renewed day by day is the weakest attempt I have seen of those trying to prove an immortal soul exists in a man from birth.

Now the following verses tell believers about an eternal house, or body, or body given upon resurrection.

"18 While we look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal." (2 Corinthians 4:18)

"1 For we know that if our earthly house of this tabernacle were dissolved, we have a building of God, an house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. 2 For in this we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven:" (2 Corinthians 5:1-2)

This is again speaking about the saved believers, and does not in any way prove that all humans have an immortal soul from birth.

Remember the section title we are currently in, "Scriptures Used To Try To Prove An Immortal Soul In All Men From Birth," or you may wonder why this verse is even here. I can only guess that they use it because "everlasting consolation" was the point here, though that is so off-point to be useless as a proof. It is included only for thoroughness, and in any case, is talking to believers.

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace," (2 Thessalonians 2:16)

"3 Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that, if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation of the wives; 2 While they behold your chaste conversation coupled with fear. 3 Whose adorning let it not be that outward adorning of plaiting the hair, and of wearing of gold, or of putting on of apparel; 4 But let it be the hidden man of the heart, in that which is not corruptible, even the ornament of a meek and quiet spirit, which is in the sight of God of great price. 5 For after this manner in the old time the holy women also, who trusted in God, adorned themselves, being in subjection unto their own husbands: 6 Even as Sara obeyed Abraham, calling him lord: whose daughters ye are, as long as ye do well, and are not afraid with any amazement." (1 Peter 3:1-6)

Does this seem to say the spirit in a man is NOT CORRUPTIBLE? Of whom is it speaking? It is speaking of SAVED wives who are BORN AGAIN and have received the Holy Spirit of God. This does not in any way prove that all humans have an immortal soul from birth.

Another verse people use to try to prove humans have an IMMORTAL SOUL from birth is Mark 12:27.

"26 And as touching the dead, that they rise: have ye not read in the book of Moses, how in the bush God spake unto him, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? 27 He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living: ye therefore do greatly err." (Mark 12:26-28)

Because Yeshua says Yahweh is the God of the living, some say this proves these people have an immortal soul.  However He is talking about the SAVED FAITHFUL who have received by faith the Holy Spirit of God.

"21 And another of his disciples said unto him, Lord, suffer me first to go and bury my father. 22 But Jesus said unto him, Follow me; and let the dead bury their dead." (Matthew 8:21-22)

As for the non-believers who are physically alive, Yeshua called these walking talking people "dead". These walking talking dead can bury the physically dead.  It was more important for this disciple to follow Jesus. The clear implication here is that this believer, a disciple, was NOT dead spiritually.  When did he become non-dead, unlike the rest of his walking talking dead family?  He became alive spiritually when he believed and received the Holy Spirit of God.

"12 Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead. 13 And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having forgiven you all trespasses;" (Colossians 2:12-13)

"1 And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 2 Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: 3 Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. 4 But God, who is rich in mercy, for his great love wherewith he loved us, 5 Even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved;)" (Ephesians 2:1-5)

Paul says BEFORE being saved they were "dead in your sins", but that upon believing in Yeshua, He quickened them, brought them to life, in that they would now live forever.  This harkens back to Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, when God said "for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."  Just as Yeshua says walking talking non-believers are "dead", and Paul says they are brought to life (quickened) upon believing, Adam and Eve were still walking and talking, but now were "dead" in their sin.

EVERLASTING & FOR EVER AND EVER

When a person believes in the Messiah of God, Yeshua, and accepts Him as their savior, they are born again; they are saved, Born Again, and are given the gift of eternal life.  They will live forever.

However, some use the verses below about the lost, the un-saved, the damned that talk about "contempt" or "punishment" being everlasting or for ever and ever.  They say this must mean that ALL men have eternal life from birth, either in heaven or in hell.  Let’s examine those verses.

"2 And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. 3 And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever." (Daniel 12:2-3)

"And these shall go away into everlasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal." (Matthew 25:46)

"And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." (Revelation 14:11)

Do these verses prove that lost humans burn in punishment forever and ever?

First, please read those verses again carefully.  Do not ASSUME anything.  They say the punishment and the contempt are everlasting.

Let's see other uses of the term "for ever."

"29 And if a man sell a dwelling house in a walled city, then he may redeem it within a whole year after it is sold; within a full year may he redeem it. 30 And if it be not redeemed within the space of a full year, then the house that is in the walled city shall be established for ever to him that bought it throughout his generations: it shall not go out in the jubilee. 31 But the houses of the villages which have no wall round about them shall be counted as the fields of the country: they may be redeemed, and they shall go out in the jubilee. 32 Notwithstanding the cities of the Levites, and the houses of the cities of their possession, may the Levites redeem at any time." (Leviticus 25:29-32)

Leviticus 25:30 can not mean through eternity, for Yahweh said He will destroy the Earth and create a new Earth. It clearly means a shorter time.

"45 Moreover of the children of the strangers that do sojourn among you, of them shall ye buy, and of their families that are with you, which they begat in your land: and they shall be your possession. 46 And ye shall take them as an inheritance for your children after you, to inherit them for a possession; they shall be your bondmen for ever: but over your brethren the children of Israel, ye shall not rule one over another with rigour." (Leviticus 25:45-46)

" 16 And it shall be, if he say unto thee, I will not go away from thee; because he loveth thee and thine house, because he is well with thee; Then thou shalt take an awl, and thrust it through his ear unto the door, and he shall be thy servant for ever. And also unto thy maidservant thou shalt do likewise." (Deuteronomy 15:17)

In the two verses above, a servant or bondman can only be a bondman until he dies. Therefore the word forever, when applied to a human, can mean until their death.

"And when he looked on Amalek, he took up his parable, and said, Amalek was the first of the nations; but his latter end shall be that he perish for ever." (Numbers 24:20)

"And ships shall come from the coast of Chittim, and shall afflict Asshur, and shall afflict Eber, and he also shall perish for ever." (Numbers 24:24)

We think of perishing as being the end, so we easily interpret this as meaning he will die and never live again. But in the two verses above, no one would interpret this to mean he will be in the act of perishing for ever, never dying, but to be in a state of dying for eternity.  If a city perishes FORVER, it is not rebuilt. If a race of people, like the Amaleks, perish FOREVER, there is not even two left alive, to repopulate that race. That race is exterminated, and there is no one to continue the bloodline. They perished, and will never be brought back.

"An Ammonite or Moabite shall not enter into the congregation of the Lord; even to their tenth generation shall they not enter into the congregation of the Lord for ever:" (Deuteronomy 23:3)

This verse above limits "for ever" to ten generations. That may be about 400 years, but it is not for eternity, as we are used to "for ever" meaning.

"And she vowed a vow, and said, O Lord of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the Lord all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head." (1 Samuel 1:11)

"20 Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the Lord. 21 And the man Elkanah, and all his house, went up to offer unto the Lord the yearly sacrifice, and his vow. 22 But Hannah went not up; for she said unto her husband, I will not go up until the child be weaned, and then I will bring him, that he may appear before the Lord, and there abide for ever." (1 Samuel 1:20-22)

Again, these verses show that in dealing with humans, "for ever" can mean until the end of their life.

"And Achish believed David, saying, He hath made his people Israel utterly to abhor him; therefore he shall be my servant for ever."  (1 Samuel 27:12)

"1 And it came to pass in those days, that the Philistines gathered their armies together for warfare, to fight with Israel. And Achish said unto David, Know thou assuredly, that thou shalt go out with me to battle, thou and thy men. 2 And David said to Achish, Surely thou shalt know what thy servant can do. And Achish said to David, Therefore will I make thee keeper of mine head for ever." (1 Samuel 28:1-2)

A commentary says the phrase “keeper of mine head” in verse 2 above, means Achish made David his bodyguard, or head of his armed forces. So in the two verses above “for ever” obviously means until David’s death.

"Then Bathsheba bowed with her face to the earth, and did reverence to the king, and said, Let my lord king David live for ever." (1 Kings 1:31)

Here Bathsheba was obviously wishing David a long life, until he died.

"12 Then spake Solomon, The Lord said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. 13 I have surely built thee an house to dwell in, a settled place for thee to abide in for ever." (1 Kings 8:12-13)

No matter how sturdy the temple was, Solomon knew it would not last to eternity. In this verse, for ever clearly means a long, long time; perhaps thousands of years.

"And the Lord said unto him, I have heard thy prayer and thy supplication that thou hast made before me: I have hallowed this house, which thou hast built, to put my name there for ever; and mine eyes and mine heart shall be there perpetually. 4 And if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked, in integrity of heart, and in uprightness, to do according to all that I have commanded thee, and wilt keep my statutes and my judgments: 5 Then I will establish the throne of thy kingdom upon Israel for ever, as I promised to David thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man upon the throne of Israel. 6 But if ye shall at all turn from following me, ye or your children, and will not keep my commandments and my statutes which I have set before you, but go and serve other gods, and worship them: 7 Then will I cut off Israel out of the land which I have given them; and this house, which I have hallowed for my name, will I cast out of my sight; and Israel shall be a proverb and a byword among all people: 8 And at this house, which is high, every one that passeth by it shall be astonished, and shall hiss; and they shall say, Why hath the LORD done thus unto this land, and to this house? 9 And they shall answer, Because they forsook the LORD their God, who brought forth their fathers out of the land of Egypt, and have taken hold upon other gods, and have worshipped them, and served them: therefore hath the LORD brought upon them all this evil." (1 Kings 9:3-9)

1 Kings 9:3 above is particularly important, for it shows that even Yahweh uses “for ever“ to mean for a long, long time. Yahweh knew He would allow Rome to destroy the temple a few decades after Yeshua’s life. Verses 4-9 above are included to show God had an "IF" attached to this promise. "IF" you obey, "THEN" I will have My name there forever. So "FOR EVER" here from the mouth of Yahweh meant "as long as you keep YOUR covenant with Me.

"6 And king Rehoboam consulted with the old men, that stood before Solomon his father while he yet lived, and said, How do ye advise that I may answer this people? 7 And they spake unto him, saying, If thou wilt be a servant unto this people this day, and wilt serve them, and answer them, and speak good words to them, then they will be thy servants for ever." (1 Kings 12:6-7)

“For ever” in the verse above clearly means until Rehoboam’s death.  There are many more such instances of “for ever” NOT meaning to eternity, as we usually understand it today.

"9 And the streams thereof shall be turned into pitch, and the dust thereof into brimstone, and the land thereof shall become burning pitch. 10 It shall not be quenched night nor day; the smoke thereof shall go up for ever: from generation to generation it shall lie waste; none shall pass through it for ever and ever." (Isaiah 34:9-10)

As in Isaiah 34:9-10 above, the punishment of Idumea or Edom was burning, of which the “smoke thereof shall go up for ever.”  Is there still smoke rising from the ancient city of Edom. No. Clearly this term does not mean forever and ever and ever. Since there is no smoke going up today from Edom, this must mean something other than that the city of Edom actually will burn and smoke forever. The fuel ran out, the fire burned out, the smoke died out.

"5 I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not. 6 And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day. 7 Even as Sodom and Gomorrha, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire."  (Jude 1:5-7)

Are Sodom and Gomorrah STILL BURNING? No, so the term “eternal fire” can not always mean fire that burns forever.

“Now the Lord had prepared a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights." (Jonah 1:17)

"1 Then Jonah prayed unto the Lord his God out of the fish's belly, 2 And said, I cried by reason of mine affliction unto the Lord, and he heard me; out of the belly of hell cried I, and thou heardest my voice. 3 For thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me. 4 Then I said, I am cast out of thy sight; yet I will look again toward thy holy temple. 5 The waters compassed me about, even to the soul: the depth closed me round about, the weeds were wrapped about my head. 6 I went down to the bottoms of the mountains; the earth with her bars was about me for ever: yet hast thou brought up my life from corruption, O Lord my God. 7 When my soul fainted within me I remembered the Lord: and my prayer came in unto thee, into thine holy temple. 8 They that observe lying vanities forsake their own mercy. 9 But I will sacrifice unto thee with the voice of thanksgiving; I will pay that that I have vowed. Salvation is of the Lord. 10 And the Lord spake unto the fish, and it vomited out Jonah upon the dry land." (Jonah 2:1-10)

The Bible itself says Jonah was in the belly of the fish for three days and three nights. This is clearly only three days!  Yet I think we can all understand Jonah feeling like that was for ever.

"19 And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God: 2 For true and righteous are his judgments: for he hath judged the great whore, which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of his servants at her hand. 3 And again they said, Alleluia And her smoke rose up for ever and ever. 4 And the four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia. 5 And a voice came out of the throne, saying, Praise our God, all ye his servants, and ye that fear him, both small and great." (Revelation 19:1-5)

There seems to be some debate over exactly what city or nation or religion this “great whore” is. Nevertheless, in Revelation 21 Yahweh makes a totally new Heavens and Earth. Will this city be kept around burning, being refueled, through eternity, in the New Earth? That seems totally unimaginable.

As with the smoke from Edom going up “forever”, this just has to mean something else, like it will never be forgotten.

Another thought on “forever” or “everlasting”. Consider this verse.

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day." (Jude 1:6)

It says EVERLASTING chains, but only UNTO the day of judgment of the great day.

“But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death.”  (Revelation 21:8)

Note this verse says these unsaved humans receive “their part in the lake”, which does not specify for how long, but for these lost, unsaved humans, it is called “the second DEATH.”

Think about that.  All humans live once, then they ALL die, (except Enoch and Elijah) as shown below from both the KJV and the NIV Bibles.

"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment:" (Hebrews 9:27 KJV)

"Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment," (Hebrews 9:27 NIV)

So one death is a given fact.  All die once. What about those who do NOT accept salvation through the Messiah Yeshua? Revelation 21:8 says they are thrown into the Lake of Fire "which is the second death."  Be honest with yourself.  The straightforward reading of that is that they DIE a second time, after having been resurrected for judgment.  Could the Almighty God not make Himself understood?

Can "The Second Death" really mean "live forever?"

If the Creator of All Things wanted to say "live forever out of the presence of God," why wouldn't He say that?

Do you really trust people who say that when God said "DEATH" He really meant "live forever in torture out of My presence?"

SAVING THE BEST FOR THE LAST

Please read the following scripture section carefully from beginning to end.

Yahweh, the Living God, the Eternal God is speaking to His people, which includes believing Christians.

(If you do not think that believing Christians are the sons of Abraham, the children of Israel, and the house of Israel,

please see my study "Does Jesus Want Christians to Obey the Ten Commandments?" or "Christians are Children Israel - One Family One Law.")

Please pray to God our Father to guide you in understanding what HE is saying to you through Ezekiel.

"20 The soul that sinneth, it shall die. The son shall not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon him. 21 But if the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all my statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die. 22 All his transgressions that he hath committed, they shall not be mentioned unto him: in his righteousness that he hath done he shall live. 23 Have I any pleasure at all that the wicked should die? Saith the Lord God: and not that he should return from his ways, and live?

24 But when the righteous turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and doeth according to all the abominations that the wicked man doeth, shall he live? All his righteousness that he hath done shall not be mentioned: in his trespass that he hath trespassed, and in his sin that he hath sinned, in them shall he die.

25 Yet ye say, The way of the Lord is not equal. Hear now, O house of Israel; Is not my way equal? Are not your ways unequal? 26 When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. 27 Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. 28 Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die.

29 Yet saith the house of Israel, The way of the Lord is not equal. O house of Israel, are not my ways equal? Are not your ways unequal?

30 Therefore I will judge you, O house of Israel, every one according to his ways, saith the Lord God. Repent, and turn yourselves from all your transgressions; so iniquity shall not be your ruin. 31 Cast away from you all your transgressions, whereby ye have transgressed; and make you a new heart and a new spirit: for why will ye die, O house of Israel? 32 For I have no pleasure in the death of him that dieth, saith the Lord God: wherefore turn yourselves, and live ye." (Ezekiel 18:20-32)

Do you think The Almighty God can not make Himself understood?

Don't you think The Creator God is capable of choosing the right words to convey what He meant?

Do you trust a minister or leader's interpretation, however good hearted, over the actual words of God?

Does it make any sense at all when someone tells you the word "die" doesn't mean "die", but to "live forever?"

Does it make sense that this only means the body, not the soul or spirit?

If God was simply telling unrepentant sinners their physical body would die, how is that any different from those whose sins are forgiven, but still die a physical death? I believe it is impossible that the physical body is what God is talking about in these verses. We have all heard of lifelong thieves, murderers, and other sinners who never repented.

Did their bodies die any earlier in life than everybody else? If not, then you are making God a liar, to believe He meant body here.  Adam and Eve are proof of this. Their bodies lived full lives after sinning by eating the forbidden fruit. God was not talking about physical bodies then in Genesis, and He is not talking about physical bodies in the passage above from Ezekiel.

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Is it really feasible to believe that God actually meant "will live forever in torture" instead of "DIE?"

Why is the Lake of Fire called "The Second Death?"  Verse 30 above shows God meant the opposite of "die" was "live." The opposite of "living forever" in heaven is not "living forever" in hell.  The opposite of "to live" is "to die."

One Hebrew word used in the verses above is Strong's H4191 muth.  It has ONE meaning; to die.

Another Hebrew word used is Strong's H4194 maveth. It has ONE meaning; death.

Look up any English translation of the Bible and they ALL say die!  Using BibleGateway.com's "All English Translations" link at the bottom of search results for Ezekiel 18:20, shows that FIFTY TWO (52) Translations ALL SAY DIE!

CONCLUSION

We have seen from the scriptures that "soul" and "spirit" are often used interchangeably. We have examined the Hebrew words for "soul" and "spirit" in the Old Testament, and the Greek words for "soul" and "spirit" in the New Testament.

We have read every verse in the Bible on being immortal or having immortality.

We have read every verse in the Bible on being incorruptible.

We have read every verse in the Bible on "eternal life."

We have seen in the Old Testament Yahweh God stress "The soul that sinneth, it shall die."

We have seen in the New Testament Paul stressing "For the wages of sin is death;"

Do we find any support in the Bible that all humans are born with an immortal soul or spirit? Or have we found just the opposite?  Have we seen that the Bible says humans are mortal and every part of them will die, UNLESS they repent, are saved, and Born Again, and given the GIFT of eternal life? (To learn more about being Born Again, please see my Bible study "How Jesus & His 12 Apostles Say We Are Saved".)

How many times do we have to hear it to turn from the customs and teaching of men, to the clear word from God Himself?

If you think I have missed any important pertinent scriptures, please let me know at dan@vigilantvaliant.com.

LAST WORDS

Remember the Pharisees were the religious leaders of God's people during Yeshua's life. They appeared very religious, very educated in the scriptures, and very holy. Yet it is they, not the common man, who Yeshua (Jesus) corrected time and time again.  It is THEY who Yeshua condemned, not the common people.

If the mainline Christian church doctrine is wrong, on such a core, foundational understanding of our relationship with God, wouldn't it be wise to give further thought and study to other doctrines taught by mainline Christian churches?

All my Bible studies may be found at www.vigilantvaliant.com.

May The Living God guide you and bless you in your search for truth.

Dan

Table of Contents

INTRODUCTION

OLD TESTAMENT

HEBREW FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

HEBREW - SOUL

HEBREW - SPIRIT

NEW TESTAMENT

GREEK FOR SOUL AND SPIRIT

GREEK - SOUL

GREEK - SPIRIT

ALL SCRIPTURES IN THE BIBLE MENTIONING BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

OLD TESTAMENT HEBREW SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

NEW TESTAMENT GREEK SCRIPTURES WITH BOTH SOUL AND SPIRIT

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS ARE IMMORTAL OR INCORRUPTIBLE?

DOES THE BIBLE SAY HUMANS HAVE ETERNAL LIFE?

HOW DO HUMANS RECEIVE A SPIRIT?

VERSES USED TRYING TO PROVE AN IMMORTAL SOUL IN MAN FROM BIRTH

EVERLASTING & FOR EVER AND EVER

SAVING THE BEST FOR THE LAST

CONCLUSION

LAST WORDS